Russia’s Sunflower Oil Exports to Turkey Exceed $1.1 Billion in 2025

CMB News | Vegetable Oils | March 10, 2026

Russia significantly expanded its agricultural exports to Turkey in 2025, with the total value of shipments rising by 9% year-on-year to approximately $3.8 billion, according to estimates cited by the Federal Center Agroexport. In physical terms, shipments exceeded 12 million tonnes.

Sunflower oil remained one of the most important export products, with export revenues surpassing $1.1 billion, highlighting Turkey’s continued dependence on imported vegetable oils for domestic consumption and processing.

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Wheat and Sunflower Oil Lead Russian Agricultural Exports

The largest export revenue was generated by wheat shipments, which reached around $1.2 billion in 2025.

Sunflower oil ranked second among Russia’s agricultural exports to Turkey.

Russia’s Key Agricultural Exports to Turkey (2025)

Product	Export Value
Wheat	~$1.2 billion
Sunflower oil	>$1.1 billion
Bran	$322 million
Pulses	$296 million
Oilcake & meal	$178 million

These figures underscore the importance of grain and oilseed products in bilateral agricultural trade between the two countries.

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Rapid Growth in Several Agricultural Products

Some agricultural products recorded particularly strong growth in export revenues.

Fastest-Growing Export Categories

Product	Growth Trend
Rice	from $16,000 in 2024 to $8.8 million in 2025
Flaxseed	exports increased 14-fold
Molasses	exports rose 2.9 times
Barley	exports increased 2.7 times

These gains reflect expanding trade flows and increasing diversification in Russia’s agricultural exports.

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Record Agricultural Trade in 2022

Despite the strong growth in 2025, the peak of Russia’s agricultural exports to Turkey occurred in 2022, when shipments exceeded $5 billion.

The trade relationship between the two countries remains heavily centered on bulk commodities such as wheat, vegetable oils, and feed ingredients.

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Turkey’s Sunflower Imports Reach Six-Year High

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Turkey’s sunflower imports for the 2025/26 season are expected to reach 1 million tonnes, the highest level in six years.

Turkey is one of the world’s largest importers of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil due to strong domestic demand for edible oils and processed food products.

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Current Season Trade Flows

Data from the market analytics platform OleoScope indicates strong shipments during the current marketing season.

Russia’s Exports to Turkey (First 5 Months of Season)

Product	Volume
Sunflower oil	372,000 tonnes
Sunflower meal	254,000 tonnes

Sunflower oil remains one of the most strategically important products in Russia’s vegetable oil export portfolio.

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Strategic Importance for the Global Vegetable Oil Market

Russia is one of the world’s largest exporters of sunflower oil, together with Ukraine and the European Union.

Turkey, meanwhile, relies heavily on imports of vegetable oils to meet domestic demand for cooking oil and processed foods.

The strong trade relationship between the two countries therefore plays an important role in balancing supply within the global vegetable oil market.

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Outlook

With Turkey’s sunflower imports expected to remain elevated and Russia maintaining strong export capacity, bilateral agricultural trade is likely to remain robust in the coming seasons.

However, global vegetable oil markets continue to face volatility due to geopolitical tensions, shipping disruptions, and fluctuations in energy prices, all of which can influence both supply chains and pricing dynamics.