U.S. farmers are growing more sunflowers because of the Ukraine war

U.S. farmers are growing more sunflowers this year as the war in Ukraine bans the supply of sunflower oil from that country. Due to shortages, farmers in the United States will soon be able to demand higher prices for their produce.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already made a preliminary assessment. This is an increase of 10 per cent in area this season. John Sandbacon, director of the National Sunflower Association, believes sunflowers can be grown on more than 20 percent more acres than the government estimates. The market price of sunflower, which was already in 2008, is higher than the old record. The conditions for cultivation are also said to be favorable.

Sunflower oil is used for everything from chips and deep fry snacks to bird food and shampoo. Sunflower seeds are also a popular snack in some countries. Spain in particular is a major importer of sunflower seeds. Most sunflowers grown in the United States are usually processed locally. But the American harvest may soon become more popular elsewhere.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) investigated last year that Ukraine was the largest supplier of sunflower oil to the Netherlands. But due to the war, Ukrainian exports have fallen sharply. Sunflower oil can often be replaced with soybean oil, rapeseed oil or palm oil. But these are not always good or cheap.