Ukraine's sunflower oil prices stay stable despite Kernel plant shutdowns

Ukrainian agricultural holding Kernel halted operations at all its oilseed plants and stopped sunflower purchases due to Russian attacks, but expert Oleh Pendzyn does not predict sunflower oil price increases in Ukrainian stores. Retail prices remain stable, with a 850 ml bottle of refined Oliya averaging 104.66 hryvnias as of November 13. Purchase prices for sunflower seeds have dropped to 15,000–16,000 hryvnias per tonne with VAT, with further declines expected as fewer enterprises can process the harvest. Palm oil price decreases and reduced domestic demand from halted processors are pressuring raw material costs for farmers. Farmers advocate for urgent removal of export duties on sunflower, soy, and rapeseed to enable direct exports and secure working capital, as logistics costs for sunflower delivery to Turkey already reach 160–180 dollars per tonne.