India’s Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) will launch futures trading in crude sunflower oil on October 12, 2026. The new instrument will allow importers, processors and traders to hedge price risks and lock in prices for future periods. For India, one of the world’s largest sunflower oil importers, the contract will provide an additional mechanism to protect against fluctuations in international prices.
According to MCX, contracts expiring in November and December 2026 and January 2027 will initially be available. Each contract will represent 5 tons, with prices quoted in Indian rupees per 10 kg. The contracts will be cash-settled, without physical delivery of the oil.
The new instrument is being introduced amid disruptions to sunflower oil supplies from the Black Sea region. According to Reuters, logistics problems in Ukraine and Russia could limit India’s sunflower oil arrivals to around 160 thsd tons in October, compared with monthly requirements of approximately 250 thsd tons. This is prompting Indian importers to increase palm oil purchases as an alternative.
The new futures contract could establish an additional domestic price benchmark for India’s sunflower oil market. The development of futures trading in India will also be relevant for Ukrainian exporters, helping them better assess price expectations in one of their key export markets. However, the contract’s impact on physical trade will depend on its liquidity and market participation.
Delays in edible oil shipments could lead to the shutdown of oilseed crushing plants in Ukraine. The Ukroliyaprom Association has called on Ukrainian Railways and the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority to coordinate rail and maritime transport operations to ensure the timely shipment of finished products.
According to Stepan Kapshuk, Director General of the association, storage tanks at crushing plants have enough capacity for only 5–7 days of production. If finished oil is not shipped on time, plants are forced to shut down production lines and stop accepting raw materials.
Ukroliyaprom emphasizes that tank railcars used to transport edible oil do not compete with grain hopper cars, as these types of rolling stock are not interchangeable. Moreover, according to the association, a single train carrying edible oil can generate foreign currency earnings and tax revenues equivalent to those of 4–5 grain trains.
Another major challenge is delays affecting edible oil tankers in the Black Sea. Long waits for pilotage services or convoy assignments increase shipowners’ costs and may discourage them from operating at Ukrainian ports.
To stabilize the industry, Ukroliyaprom has proposed that Ukrainian Railways introduce a coordinated operating schedule and allocate locomotive capacity for edible oil shipments. The association has also called on the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority to ensure timely pilotage services and the entry of tankers into liquid bulk terminals.
The benchmark United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 18.3% in September compared to its level the previous year.
Averaging 198.6 points in September, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index was up 1.8 points (0.9%) from the previous month driven mainly by higher world palm oil prices more than offsetting a decline in sunflower oil quotations, the FAO said on 2 October.
“Soy[abean] and rapeseed oil prices remained broadly stable during the month. International palm oil prices rose for the fourth consecutive month, supported by strong global import demand and concerns over the impact of dry weather on production prospects in Southeast Asia,” the FAO said.
“Sunflower oil prices declined for the third successive month, reflecting expectations of ample supplies from the Black Sea region, although ongoing logistical disruptions and constrained export capacity through alternative routes contained the decline.”
World soyabean oil prices were stable, remaining well above their year-earlier levels, supported by strong demand from the biofuel sector. Rapeseed oil prices also remained largely unchanged.
The index illustrates the changes in international prices of the 10 most important vegetable oils in world trade, weighted according to their export shares.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA, US — CHS, Inc., a global agribusiness and the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the United States, broke ground Oct. 7 for its planned soybean processing facility near Evansville, Wisconsin, US.
The facility is expected to process 80 million bushels of soybeans annually, producing about 1 billion pounds of soybean oil and 2 million tons of soybean meal. The project will expand domestic processing capacity, create additional market opportunities for farmers and help meet growing demand across food, feed and renewable fuel markets, CHS said.
Development activities for the roughly $700 million project, first announced Sept. 14, are underway, with construction expected to begin following completion of required permitting processes, CHS said. Community leaders, growers, industry partners and government officials joined CHS for the ceremony.
“Today marks an important investment in the future of agriculture,” said Jay Debertin, president and chief executive officer of CHS. “This facility will provide farmers with another reliable market for their soybeans while strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting growing demand for US-produced agricultural products.”
In his remarks, Debertin noted that investments of this magnitude require a policy environment that brings strong markets and long-term demand.
CHS previously said the Evansville facility would increase soybean processing capacity in southern Wisconsin, a region with strong soybean production and significant demand for soybean meal from livestock producers.
“American farmers produce the highest-quality crops in the world, and they deserve strong domestic processing capacity and reliable markets for what they grow,” said Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). “The CHS project joins a growing list of investments that helps demonstrate this Administration’s strong support for biofuels. With the capacity to process 80 million bushels of soybeans each year, this facility will come online at a pivotal time as President Trump expands opportunities and opens new markets both at home and abroad for US soybean farmers.”
When operational, the facility is expected to support approximately 80 full-time jobs and create hundreds of construction and skilled trade positions during development.
MUMBAI, Oct 7 (Reuters) - A shipment of Russian sunflower oil bound for India was cancelled and other cargoes have been delayed after attacks on Black Sea ports disrupted exports from India's top supplier, an industry official and trade sources said.
A 20,000-ton shipment of Russian sunflower oil bound for India was "washed out" after the supplier was unable to deliver it because of damage to port infrastructure in the Black Sea region, Sandeep Bajoria, president of trade body the International Sunflower Oil Association, told Reuters.
Washouts, or cancellations, are rare in the sunflower oil trade, and have not been reported in many years.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has also delayed about 60,000 tons of sunflower oil bound for India, prompting Indian buyers to step up palm oil purchases ahead of the festival season, trade sources said.
Russian sellers are now seeking to ship sunflower oil from Baltic Sea ports such as St Petersburg and Ust-Luga as shipments from the Black Sea have become more difficult, the sources said.
"Shipping from Baltic ports means higher freight costs and an additional 10 days of voyage time," Bajoria, who is also CEO of Mumbai-based vegetable oil brokerage Sunvin Group, told Reuters.
"But there is no other option, as Black Sea infrastructure is crumbling because of the war."
India, which meets almost all of its sunflower oil demand through imports, needs about 250,000 tons of imports a month, but October shipments could fall to 160,000 tons due to delays in loading in Russia and Ukraine, said a New Delhi-based dealer.
Sunflower oil stocks have already been depleted due to below-average imports in recent months, and with demand for edible oils expected to rise during the upcoming festival season, India has been turning more to palm oil.
India bought 150,000 tons of crude palm oil in just three days this week for November and December shipment for delivery to both the east and west coasts, the sources said. It imported an average of about 632,000 tons of palm oil a month during the year to October 2025
Higher palm oil purchases by India could help draw down stocks in top producers Indonesia and Malaysia and support benchmark Malaysian palm oil futures.
FARGO, North Dakota, Oct 7 (Reuters) - In a small outdoor plot in Fargo, North Dakota, plant breeder Carrie Dottey crouched over a tiny flower on a leafy green soybean plant, conducting research that could help convert the state, known for its wheat, into a soybean powerhouse.
No state has increased soybean plantings faster than North Dakota, fueled by booms in Chinese demand and domestic biofuel production.
State soybean plantings have more than tripled since 2000, far outpacing a 17% national increase, as advancements such as herbicide-resistant seeds coincided with declining demand for wheat. The northern Plains state, infamous for its brutal cold, has also grown substantially warmer.
Soybeans now usually top the list of the state's most planted and most valuable crops.
Yet the main drag on North Dakota's soy production potential has been yields, measured in bushels per acre. North Dakota soybean yields have remained flat over the last decade at around 35 bpa, well below the national average of nearly 53 bpa and below yields in neighboring South Dakota and Minnesota.
The challenge is to develop soybeans that can thrive in the state's short, often dry summers and narrow the yield gap with the Midwest.
"That's my white whale," Dottey said during a hot July afternoon as she examined white buds on plants on the campus of North Dakota State University, where she works developing new soybean varieties. "The crux of my research ambition is to figure out how can we get North Dakota yields equivalent to Illinois?"
This summer was among North Dakota's warmest and driest ever, according to state climatologist Daryl Ritchison. The US Department of Agriculture has projected North Dakota's soybean yield at...
Global agribusiness giant Bunge has announced it would be processing German chemical company BASF’s InVigor Gold canola seed.
The move was a key step towards commercialisation as BASF prepared for the US launch of the product in 2027, the companies said in a joint statement on 22 September.
Developed for use in warmer, drier environments and lower organic matter soils, InVigor Gold canola grain met Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) canola-quality standards and could be delivered directly or co-mingled with traditional black-seed canola (Brassica napus) for processing, the companies said.
“InVigor Gold canola is designed to unlock new canola acres in more challenging growing environments, giving farmers another option to consider in their rotations,” said Hugo Borsari, vice president of business management for seeds, North America, at BASF Agricultural Solutions.
BASF introduced farmers to InVigor Gold canola seed in 2025 as a product designed to unlock the genetic potential of Brassica juncea.
In June, BASF announced InVigor Gold L322, the first hybrid in the portfolio, with initial commercial availability planned for growers in Montana, North Dakota and Washington scheduled to begin in 2027.
KYIV, UKRAINE — Kernel Holding SA, a leading Ukrainian grains producer, oilseeds processor and exporter, cleared revenue of $4.4 billion, up 7 % year on year, and EBITDA of $558 million, a 20% jump, during financial year 2026, which ended June 30.
In its Oct. 5 earnings report, Kernel credited the relative stability of Black Sea exports during the past season for its bottom-line performance, though that situation has changed rapidly for fiscal 2027 due to the increasing intensity of the war with Russia.
Crop production in fiscal 2026 rose 43% to 2.3 million tonnes, and export terminal throughput reached 9.6 million tonnes, Kernel said. Grain exports totaled 6.3 million tonnes, 15% of the country’s total.
Crushing plants processed 3.2 million tonnes of oilseeds, down 8%. Oilseed processing remained one of the most challenging areas of the company’s business. Kernel noted that Ukraine’s sunflower seed harvest fell to about 10.4 million tonnes, the lowest level in the past decade, intensifying competition for feedstock.
Kernel said Russian recent and ongoing attacks on port infrastructure and commercial vessels have resulted in a roughly tenfold decline in vessel calls at Black Sea deepwater ports. The company’s assets in Chornomorsk were further damaged during July missile and drone attacks.
Logistical constraints coincided with substantial national grain carryover stocks of about 8 million tonnes and the arrival of the new harvest, Kernel said. At the same time, alternative routes via the Danube and rail have limited capacity and significantly higher transportation costs.
Given the need to finance repairs to assets damaged by Russian attacks and cover the additional costs of more complex logistics, Kernel’s board of directors recommended that no dividend be paid for fiscal 2026 so financial resources can support the company’s operations and resilience.
“Black Sea agricultural exports directly affect the global food balance, meaning that disruptions at Ukrainian ports are felt across markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East,” said Andrii Verevskyi, chairman of the...