Expert: sunflower prices in Kazakhstan will be lower than last year

Kazakhstan is forecast to harvest about 3 million tonnes of sunflower seed this season, compared with 2.5 million tonnes in 2025. Supply is growing because the area under the crop has increased and yields have risen.

A record sunflower harvest in Russia will also affect the market. Imports of the seed itself into Kazakhstan are banned, but Russian sunflower oil will come onto the Kazakh market. It will also be shipped to Central Asian countries, which will affect prices.

Danil Voropay, director of B-Agro, told ElDala.kz that farmers should not expect prices like last season's, when a tonne cost more than 200,000 tenge. A tonne of sunflower costs about 28,000 rubles in Russia, so he expects around 150,000–160,000 tenge per tonne in Kazakhstan. He said that once the main harvest is over, "a small price increase from the current level can be expected, but it will not be very high".

For this reason, farmers are advised to plan their production economics to get the highest return per hectare while choosing seed at an optimal price.