Romanian sunseed crop outlook improved

In May, MARS agency revised the sunseed yield estimate upwards to 2.27 mt/ha (from 2.21 mt/ha in April). This is already 21% higher y/y (1.88 mt/ha) and higher than the 5-year average (2.21 mt/ha).

According to MARS, sunflower sowing started early (end of March) in the main EU sunflower producing countries of Romania and Bulgaria, thanks to unusually high temperatures. From mid-April, weather turned rainy and colder, slowing sowing progress and causing some delays in sprouting. Nevertheless, planting progressed rapidly and is currently (mid-May) nearing completion.

In contrast to sunflower, the average yield for rapeseed was reduced from 2.98 mt/ha in the April report to 2.78 mt/ha, which is now 8% lower y/y (3.01 mt/ha) due to below-average rainfall.