The EU agri-food sector expanded its positive trade balance in the first six months of 2026, with a trade surplus of €23.9 billion, €1.4 billion higher than in the same time period in 2025. Cumulative exports for January–June totalled €117.2 billion, down by 2% compared with 2025, mainly due to declines in values of exports of cocoa products, pigmeat and olive oil.
Cumulative exports to Egypt increased by €278 million (+28%) year-on-year, driven mainly by wheat, while exports to Ukraine rose by €247 million (+12%) and those to India by €174 million (+26%). Trade with Gulf countries was impacted by the disruption to maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz, with exports to the United Arab Emirates falling by €395 million (-25%). Among product categories, exports of spirits and liqueurs increased by €405 million (+10%) while exports of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices fell by €1.1 billion (-16%).
Cumulative imports reached €93.4 billion, down €3.6 billion (-4%) year-on-year. Despite this, imports from Brazil increased by €425 million (+5%), mainly due to higher soya bean imports, while imports from Argentina and Guatemala also rose. Among product categories, imports of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices fell by €3.6 billion (-17%), while cereal imports declined by €715 million (-15%). By contrast, imports of fruit and nuts increased by €503 million (+3%), while sunflower seed imports doubled following two poor EU crop years.
The widening EU agri-food trade surplus underlines the sector's continued competitiveness and ability to adapt to changing market conditions.
More insights as well as detailed tables are available...
The export duty on sunflower oil in Russia will increase almost twofold in September compared with the rate in effect in August, from RUB 7,748 per ton to RUB 14,377.7 per ton, Russia’s Agriculture Ministry reported.
The customs duty on Russian sunflower meal exports, which stands at RUB 312.4 per ton in August, will increase even more significantly, rising 6.3-fold to RUB 1,958.8 per ton.
According to the ministry, export duties for next month were calculated based on an indicative price of $1,319.9 per ton ($1,298.5 per ton in July) for sunflower oil and $240.3 ($228) per ton for sunflower meal.
According to the USDA forecast, in 2026/27 MY, global vegetable oil production will grow to a record 244.95 million tons (238.75 million tons in 2025/26 MY, 230.8 million tons in 2024/25 MY, and 222.4 million tons in 2023/24 MY), but ending stocks will remain at the previous season's level of 30.8 million tons due to increased consumption.
The cessation of oil exports from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine and the Russian Federation and the rise in oil prices keep vegetable oil prices high, although oil prices have increased by 34% over the year, and vegetable oil prices by only 10-15%.
October Brent crude futures have fallen 2.8% to $88.5/barrel over the past 7 days (+2.3% month-on-month), but are still 34% above last year's level, which continues to support high demand for biofuels and vegetable oil prices.
October palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia exchange have risen by 1.8% to 4,946 ringgit/t or $1,224/t over the past 7 days (+4.2% in two weeks, +15% in the year) amid active demand from importers, fueled by forecasts of a reduction in palm and soybean harvests in South America due to the impact of El Niño.
It should be noted that palm oil prices increased by 10% in local currency and 15% in dollars over the year, while soybean and sunflower oil prices increased significantly more over the year.
December soybean oil futures on the CBOT exchange in Chicago fell 2.6% to $1,493/tonne in the week (-2.5% in the month), but remain at a high level (compared to last year's price of $1,145/tonne) against the backdrop of high oil prices and a closed US biodiesel market.
During the week, spot prices for soybean oil in Brazil increased by $10/t to $1,210-1,220/t FOB, and soybean oil futures in Dalian (China) increased by $35-40/t to $1,300-1,311/t (+10% year-on-year), supported by the forecast of a decrease in the soybean harvest in China.
Sunflower oil demand prices in India fell by $20/t to $1,470/t CIF Mumbai during the week amid increased supply of new crop from the Black Sea region, but are still 15% above last year's level.
Bulgaria to test for pesticide residues
In the coming season, Bulgaria is expected to become one of the most important markets for sunflower seeds from Ukraine. In preparation for this, the Bulgarian Minister for Agriculture and Food, Plamen Abrovski, has announced that testing for pesticide residues will be carried out on all shipments of sunflower seeds from Ukraine to Bulgaria. According to reports, the first shipments have been announced for September and October. Among other factors, several shipments between February and March 2026 were said to have been decis
The European Union significantly changed the structure of its rapeseed product imports in MY 2025/26. According to USDA FAS estimates, rapeseed imports fell by around 27% compared with the previous season, while rapeseed oil imports surged by 70%.
The need for imported rapeseed declined as EU domestic production recovered, increasing by around 20%. A larger crop, particularly in major producing countries such as France and Germany, allowed European crushers to significantly reduce their dependence on imported raw material.
At the same time, demand for rapeseed oil grew faster than domestic production. EU consumption increased by 5.3% year-on-year, while rapeseed oil production rose by only 4.4%. Additional demand came from the biodiesel sector, while rapeseed oil also became more competitive compared with relatively expensive sunflower oil.
The EU covered the shortfall with imports, which increased by around 70% over the season. Ukraine remained the largest supplier of rapeseed oil to the EU, ahead of the United Kingdom and Canada. Thus, the larger domestic rapeseed crop reduced the bloc’s need for imported seed but did not eliminate its need for imported rapeseed oil.
For MY 2026/27, USDA FAS forecasts the EU rapeseed area to increase by 2.7% to 6.3 mln ha. However, due to an expected decline in average yields, production could edge down to 20.4 mln tons from 20.5 mln tons in MY 2025/26 despite the expansion in planted area.
- Researchers found that soy lecithin and DATEM damaged the intestinal epithelial barrier, which helps regulate interactions between gut contents, underlying tissues, and the immune system
- Both emulsifiers activated inflammatory, cellular stress, and cell-death pathways, although through different mechanisms
- Soy lecithin increased IgE, an antibody central to allergic reactions, in mice, while DATEM enhanced allergy-related IgE production in human immune cells
- The findings did not establish that consuming soy lecithin or DATEM causes food allergy or chronic disease in humans; additional research on chronic exposure and microbiome effects is needed
- The researchers did call for more comprehensive food additive safety assessments that consider intestinal barrier function, inflammation, immune activation, and microbiome effects alongside conventional toxicological endpoints.
The project demonstrates how existing vessels could transition towards lower-emission operations without waiting for entirely new fleets or propulsion systems to be developed. By adapting the Birjo II to run on B100, the partners have shown that conventional inland shipping assets can potentially be repurposed to operate on renewable fuel while retaining their existing engines.
Owned by DK Shipping, the Birjo II is a large barge operating on Dutch inland waterways and plays a central role in Sunoil's own logistics chain. The vessel is primarily used to transport biodiesel from Sunoil's production facility in Kampen to storage locations and also carries out direct deliveries to customers.
The conversion creates a particularly integrated model: the barge will transport renewable fuels while being powered by biodiesel itself. It can be fuelled directly at Sunoil's Kampen facility, connecting renewable fuel production, transport and end use within a single operational chain. According to the companies, switching the vessel from fossil fuel to B100 could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90 per cent, while allowing the barge to continue normal operations without requiring the replacement of its existing engine.
That practical advantage could prove important for the inland shipping sector, where replacing vessels or installing entirely new propulsion systems can require significant capital investment and operational downtime. The Birjo II project instead focuses on converting an existing vessel to use a renewable fuel that is already commercially produced and available.
The companies describe Birjo II as one of the first barges in the world capable of operating fully on 100 per cent biodiesel. “What makes this project especially valuable for Sunoil is that Birjo II now operates on our own biodiesel while transporting renewable fuels between our locations and customers,” said Jeroen Hovius, chief commercial officer at Sunoil.
The project also builds on a long-standing collaboration between Sunoil and BFT, with the two companies positioning the conversion as a potential platform for wider deployment. “Together with BFT, we are continuing a strong long-term collaboration focused on practical solutions that help make inland shipping more sustainable,” Hovius said. “At the same time, this project creates a platform for the conversion and rollout of multiple barges operating on B100 across Europe.”
Ukraine is currently exporting around 300,000 tons of vegetable oils per month due to the suspension of maritime exports, half the volume recorded before problems with maritime logistics emerged. Limited export capacity has become one of the main factors behind the decline in sunflower seed purchase prices, Stepan Kapshuk, director general of the Ukroilprom association, told NV Business.
According to Kapshuk, Ukraine is exporting 5,000-7,000 tons of sunflower oil per day in August. Another 2,000-3,000 tons comprise rapeseed and soybean oil.
“Overall, we are able to export about 8,000 tons per day, or up to 300,000 tons per month. That is half the volume before maritime exports were halted,” Kapshuk said.
He said difficulties in shipping finished products had become the key reason for the decline in sunflower seed purchase prices. The market is facing logistical problems, a shortage of transport and insufficient storage capacity.
Ukroilprom expects the logistics situation to stabilise within the next two to three weeks.
At the same time, Ukraine's vegetable oil production could reach 7 million tons this year. Domestic consumption stands at around 300,000 tons, so the association sees no risk of a shortage on the domestic market.
“There will be no shortage, and there is no reason for the public to panic,” Kapshuk said.