Hungary tops EU sunflower production rankings for the first time

Published Feb 13, 2025

Tridge summary

The European Commission has revised its forecast for the European Union's 2024 sunflower harvest, reducing it by 7,000 tonnes to an estimated 8 million tonnes, marking a 18% decrease compared to the previous year and the average yield of the past five years. This decline is largely attributed to severe weather conditions across the region, with Germany experiencing a 25% drop, resulting in the smallest sunflower harvest in the EU since 2015. Despite these challenges, Hungary has emerged as the leading producer, followed by France and Bulgaria, all experiencing significant reductions in their sunflower harvests.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The European Commission has lowered its estimate for the European Union's 2024 sunflower harvest by 7,000 tonnes compared to December's estimate to 8 million tonnes. The decline compared to the previous year and the average result for the last 5 years is 18%, and the main reason is the adverse weather conditions in large parts of the community. This is also the weakest sunflower harvest in the EU since 2015. The correction by the EC experts is mainly due to the smaller harvest in Germany, which is already estimated at 127 thousand tonnes - exactly 7,000 tonnes below the forecast in December. Compared to 2023, the decrease in the German harvest is 25%, but at the same time it is slightly more than 20% larger than the average result for the last 5 years. In 2022 Many German farmers expanded their sunflower acreage after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sharp rise in oilseed prices, only to start cutting back the following year. Hungary has climbed to the top of the EU ...

Source: Sinor