# Sunflower: Stocks

Why stocks get stranded when ports close

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/stocks/

What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.

#### Top five producers: production and stocks (USDA, 2026/27)

| Country | Production | Share | Ending stocks | Stocks-to-use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Russia** | 21,000 | 33% | 1,742 | 8.6% |
| **Ukraine** | 13,000 | 20.4% | 353 | 2.7% |
| **European Union** | 9,725 | 15.3% | 564 | 5.2% |
| **Argentina** | 8,000 | 12.6% | 983 | 12.6% |
| **Kazakhstan** | 3,000 | 4.7% | 79 | 2.5% |
| **World** | 63,620 | 100% | 4,514 | 7.3% |

 thousand t. Stocks-to-use = ending stocks ÷ (domestic use + exports) for countries, ÷ world use for the world. Source: USDA FAS PSD database, October 2026 release; 2026/27 figures are projections.

#### Stockholding and policy

No recycling applies. World sunflower oil ending stocks were 2.39 Mt in 2025/26 (USDA PSD). India keeps no strategic edible oil reserve; it manages supply with import duties (basic customs duty on crude edible oils cut to 10% from 20% from 31 May 2025) and tracks port and pipeline stocks through SEA. USDA puts India's sunflower oil ending stocks at 400 kt for 2025/26 and 598 kt for 2026/27.

Sunflower seed stores well if dried, and the oil keeps for months. Stocks sit mainly with Black Sea crushers and exporters, so a disrupted port means stocks become stranded rather than available. The wider buffer is the stock of all vegetable oils, since palm, soybean and rapeseed oil substitute for most uses. Buyers in Europe and India hold modest inventories and rely on a steady flow of cargoes.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/production/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sunflower/links/index.md)