South Africa: Focus should shift to high-oil cultivars of sunflower

Published Apr 28, 2023

Tridge summary

A sunflower symposium was held by the Oil and Protein Seeds Development Trust and the Oilseeds Advisory Committee, focusing on improving sunflower production and balancing high oil content and high yields. South Africa, which depends on sunflower oil for most of its vegetable oil needs, is facing challenges such as high production costs and a decrease in oil content in sunflowers. The country's reliance on imported crude sunflower oil is expected to increase due to rising consumption. The symposium underscored the potential of high-oil sunflower cultivars and discussed the possibility of a premium for sunflowers with a higher oil content, encouraging farmers to prioritize oil content over yield.

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Original content

The Oil and Protein Seeds Development Trust and Oilseeds Advisory Committee recently hosted a sunflower symposium at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Convention Center in Pretoria. During the event, Prof Ferdi Meyer of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) explored whether Africa can find the sweet spot between high oil content and high yields in sunflowers. Sunflower is the largest source of vegetable oil in South Africa, with almost the entire local crop being processed into sunflower oil. Oil-type seeds of this crop contain 38 to 50% oil and approximately 20% protein. According to BFAP, South Africa's sunflower oil consumption has increased by 63% with a projected increase of 41% over the next decade. Although slower than the previous decade, it remains significant. Since domestic consumption is projected to remain higher than production, South Africa will continue to be a net importer of crude sunflower oil. Meyer noted that while global ...

Source: Agriorbit