Sunflower seed holds at 487 euros per tonne DAP Constanta as Turkey needs 1.8 million tonnes of imports

Sunflower seed prices at Constanta lost another 4 euros at the start of the week, settling at 487 euros per tonne DAP (2,570 lei per tonne at an exchange rate of 1 euro = 5.28 lei), according to agrointel.ro. The move extends a 10-euro decline recorded the previous week and comes as abundant regional supply weighs on the oilseed complex.

The physical market in Constanta opened Monday, 28 September, in consolidation mode. Milling wheat and feed wheat were unchanged from Friday at 225 euros per tonne (1,186 lei) and 209 euros per tonne (1,102 lei) respectively, holding flat after a 10 euro per tonne correction the previous week. Corn gave up 1 euro to 231 euros per tonne (1,218 lei), while feed barley was the only grain with a clear gain, adding 3 euros to 216 euros per tonne (1,139 lei) and continuing the relative strengthening of the feed segment. Rapeseed shed just 1 euro to 530 euros per tonne (2,798 lei), remaining the most stable commodity in the complex.

Euronext corrects while Constanta stays calm

The contrast with futures markets was sharp. Paris wheat opened the week lower, with the December contract losing more than 3 euros to 233 euros per tonne. The move followed Chicago, where wheat posted a fifth consecutive declining session with the December contract at 6.96 dollars per bushel. agrointel.ro attributes the pressure to two factors: spillover from weakness in soybeans and diplomatic efforts to ease the blockage in Black Sea exports.

MATIF corn fell well below the 270 euros per tonne threshold on the November contract, pressured by harvest progress in the EU and by weakness in Chicago, where corn lost 4-5 cents as a stronger dollar made US grain less competitive globally. The market drew limited support from the list of US agricultural products on which China will cut tariffs, which includes wheat, corn and sorghum but omits soybeans.

Euronext rapeseed recorded one of its sharpest daily corrections in months, falling 9 euros on the November contract and moving significantly away from the 550 euros per tonne threshold. The decline came despite Brent crude passing 106 dollars per barrel after hopes of a rapid agreement between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz faded, once Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal.

Turkish demand underpins the oilseed

USDA estimates Turkish sunflower seed production at 1.8 million tonnes in the 2026/27 season, 550,000 tonnes above the previous season, on favourable weather and a slight expansion of planted area to 770,000 hectares. The larger domestic crop does not significantly reduce Turkey's import requirement, with consumption estimated at around 3.4 million tonnes.

USDA forecasts imports of 1.8 million tonnes of sunflower seed, with Turkish processors continuing to rely mainly on supply from the Black Sea region. Because of disruptions to deliveries through deep-water sea ports, Turkish importers have shifted part of their purchases towards western Black Sea suppliers and river ports. Roughly 400,000 tonnes have already been contracted for delivery in the September-November window. For Romania, the development matters because of Turkey's position as an important outlet for Romanian sunflower seed.

Ukrainian supply and the regional price spread

Ukrainian sunflower seed prices continued to fall last week, according to APK-Inform, particularly in central regions where harvesting is advancing rapidly and large volumes of raw material are reaching the market. In the centre and east of the country, purchase bids were mainly at 330-350 dollars per tonne CPT plant, while in western regions they stood at 360-380 dollars per tonne CPT. In the south, where competition between exporters has intensified, prices rose to 390-400 dollars per tonne CPT. The gap between the lowest and highest regional levels therefore reaches about 70 dollars per tonne, reflecting differences in logistics and the intensity of demand for export-bound material.

Ukrainian grain and oilseed stocks stood at 24.6 million tonnes as of 1 September, 10 million tonnes above the previous year, confirming how much material is waiting for an outlet.

Russian wheat shifts to the Baltic

Russian export wheat prices eased slightly last week in line with international markets. According to IKAR, wheat with 12.5% protein from the ports of Vysotsk and Ust-Luga was quoted at 267 dollars per tonne FOB for November delivery, 1 dollar per tonne below the previous week. The closure of southern Russian ports moved volumes to Baltic terminals, which allowed September export estimates to be raised to 2.3 million tonnes from more than 2 million tonnes previously.

For the July-September 2026 period, wheat exports are estimated at around 6.6 million tonnes. Russia has also introduced retroactively, from 1 September, a zero export duty on wheat, barley and corn, valid until 31 December. The domestic market remains under pressure, and the pace of autumn sowing for the 2027 crop is the slowest since 2013.