Bulgaria introduces enhanced control of Ukrainian sunflower

Bulgaria plans to test all sunflower seed shipments from Ukraine for pesticide residues.

Tightening controls could increase exporters’ costs, delay cargo clearance and increase the risk of individual consignments being rejected, ASAP Agri reports.

The decision comes as Bulgaria becomes an increasingly important destination for Ukrainian sunflowers of the new crop. Some volumes have already been contracted for September, and deliveries for October are also being offered on the market.

According to market participants, several batches of sunflower seeds shipped in February-March were tested and allegedly found to contain deltamethrin residues that were up to four times higher than the maximum permissible level in the EU.

Tightening controls could lead to additional costs for laboratory tests, delays in cargo clearance and an increased risk of Ukrainian sunflower consignments being rejected.

The situation is particularly important against the backdrop of problems in the operation of Ukrainian deep-sea ports, which continue to restrict the export of sunflower oil and domestic processing.

Against this backdrop, ASAP Agri has lowered its forecast for sunflower seed processing in Ukraine in the 2026/27 marketing year to 12.05 million tons.

Earlier, USM reported that the Rada is proposing to zero out the export duty on soybeans, rapeseed, and sunflowers.