Sunflowers are native to South and North America, but are now grown almost worldwide. Sunflowerseed oil accounts for approximately 14% of the world production of seed oils. Sunflower varieties that are commercially grown contain from 39% to 49% oil in the seed. Sunflower crops produce about 50 bushels of seed per acre on average, which yields approximately 50 gallons of oil.

Sunflowerseed oil accounts for around 80% of the value of the sunflower crop. Refined sunflowerseed oil is edible and used primarily as a salad and cooking oil and in margarine. Crude sunflowerseed oil is used industrially for making soaps, candles, varnishes, and detergents. Sunflowerseed oil contains 93% of the energy of US No. 2 diesel fuel and is being explored as a potential alternate fuel source in diesel engines. Sunflower meal is used in livestock feed and when fed to poultry, increases the yield of eggs. Sunflower seeds are also used for birdfeed and as a snack for humans.

Prices – The average price received by US farmers for sunflower seeds was .00 per hundred pounds in December 2003, which was slightly lower than the .16 average seen in the marketing year 2002/3 (Sep/Aug) but sharply higher than the trough of .39 seen in 2000/1.

Supply – World sunflowerseed production in 2003/4 was forecast to rise by 7.6% to 25.73 million metric tons from 23.92 million. Despite the higher production level, demand was strong and stocks in 2003/4 were forecast to drop 8% to 830,000 metric tons. The world’s largest producer of sunflowerseeds is the former Soviet Union with 37% of the crop in 2003/4, followed by Argentina (13%), Eastern Europe (12%), and the European Union (10%). World production of sunflowerseed oil rose 8% to 9.03 million metric tons from 8.37 million in 2002/3. US production of sunflowerseeds in 2003/4 was forecast at 1.19 million metric tons, up 5.3% from 1.13 million 2002/3.

Demand – In 2003/4, a forecasted 87% of the sunflowerseed production went into crushing for oil and meal products, little changed from 2002/3. Consumption of sunflowerseed meal was up 9% to 8.97 million metric tons in 2003/4 while consumption of sunflowerseed oil was up 7% to 9.80 million metric tons.

Trade – World exports of sunflowerseeds in 2003/4 was forecast at 3.38 million metric tons, up sharply by 48% from 2.28 million in 2002/3. Exports account for 13% of world production. The world’s largest exporters in 2002/3 were Argentina (with 21% of world exports), Hungary (15.2%), the former Soviet Union (15.1%), and the US (10%). The world’s largest importers were the Netherlands (with 17.4% of world imports), Turkey (17.4%), Spain (10.2%), and Germany (9.5%).