Sunflower Oil ›

Introduction :

Sunflower was introduced in India as an oilseed crop for the first time in 1969. Sunflower is a drought tolerant crop due to its deep tap root, that make it the best substitute to all rain fed commercial crop. Sunflower is a major source of vegetable oil in the world.

Sunflower Seed contains about 48-53 per cent edible oil. The protein content is around 25% and Sunflower Meal is used as a protein source in animal feed preparation. Sunflower oil is a rich source (64 per cent) of linoleic acid which is good for heart patients & that is why it is considered as healthy oil. Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as a frying medium, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient. Besides oil, almost every part of sunflower has commercial value.

Global Scenario :

European Union (namely Argentina, France, Romania, Hungary), Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, United States, China, India and Turkey are the major producers of Sunflower Seed in the world market. Country wise, usually production of Russia is the highest followed by Ukraine. EU-27 is considered as the largest producer of Sunflower Seed in world when the production of all its member states is put together.

The Sunflower Oil production of the world is around 8-9 million tons in a normal year. The exports are traditionally around 30% of the total production. Currently, Sunflower Seed accounts for around 8% of the world's total oilseed production and Sunflower Oil accounts for 9% of the Global Edible Oil Production.

Indian Scenario :

Sunflower is one of the fastest growing oilseed crops in India. It occupies fourth place among oilseed crops in terms of acreage and production. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra accounted for more than 90 % of area and production.

Indian Sunflower Seed production ranges between 10-15 lakh tons. The major producers are Karnataka (35%), Andhra Pradesh (30%), Maharashtra (15%), Punjab (4%) and Haryana (4%).

In India the average yield of oil obtained by mechanical extraction from Sunflower Seed is 35 % from unshelled seed of normal moisture content (9%) and 42.5% by pre-press and solvent extraction. Crude Oil to Refined Oil Conversion Rate is 95%.

Seasonality : In India, sunflower is grown both in the kharif and rabi season. However, around 70% of the crop is produced in the rabi (November – March) season. The kharif (June – September) period accounts for less than 30% of the crop currently.

Factors influencing Refined Sunflower Oil Price :

• The production highly fluctuates between years, depending on the monsoon. So one can say that seasonality affects the prices to the great extent.
• There is high substitutability between Sunflower Oil and Groundnut Oil especially in AP among the consumers. So, price of other major oils like groundnut, soyaoil and other edible oils also influence the prices of Refined Sunflower Oil.