Almost complete export orientation is the unique feature of the Ukrainian market of sunflower oil, the general director of the Association Ukroliyaprom Stepan Kapshuk reported.
Ukraine consumes no more than 10% of the produced sunflower oil, and exports 90% of the remaining volumes. Any export limitations on sunflower oil will cause destabilization of not only the sunflower oil market, but also of the whole food products market of Ukraine, the expert noted.
Also, Kapshuk stressed the ever-expanding geography of sales of Ukrainian sunflower oil and other types of vegetable oils. Thus, in 2015/2016 MY Ukraine exported sunflower oil to 105 countries. At the same time, India and China were its main customers in the reporting season – 30% and 13.8% of the shipment volumes respectively.
The expert noted the growth of supplies of Ukrainian sunflower oil to the EU, which in 2015/2016 MY would increase 2.7 times compared with the previous season – to 1.4 million tons, against 0.5 million tons. The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement mainly contributed to such effect, and Ukraine received the opportunity of duty-free entry on the fat-and-oil market of EU countries, in particular sunflower oil market, Kapshuk said. (APK-Inform/Business World Magazine)