Sunflower, global production

WORLD AND U.S. PRODUCTION. The global growth in the 1960s of sunflower seed production and of the sunflower seed and oil trade is the most impressive of any in the fat and oil industry. In 1990, sunflowers ranked third in the world among sources of edible vegetable oils, exceeded only by soybean oil and rape oil. 

The global production of sunflower oil has grown steadily in the last 25 years. The three largest producers (Ukraine, 28.5% Russia, 24.6% and the European Union, 19.4%) accoxmt for 72% of the global volume. The European Union and Turkey are tiie major importers of sunflower oil. The global production of sunflower oil with respect to different coxmtries is shown in Fig. 19.2. 

The Austrian Biofuels Institute currently maintains an ongoing database on the global biodiesel industry (49). Their current statistics reveal that most biodiesel is obtained from canola (low emcic acid rapeseed 84%) and sunflower (13%). European biodiesel production dominated world production in 2000 and Europeans have chosen canola oil as the mainstay for manufacturing biodiesel. However, recent facility constmction (50) and legislative action (51) in North America may lead to rapid increases in biodiesel production (Table 2). The State of Minnesota has passed legislation that mandates the inclusion of 2% biodiesel in all diesel fuel sold in the state (51). European and American biodiesel production is rapidly increasing. In 2000, U.S. production was just 22 ML (Table 3). 

The global vegetable oil production reaches between 150 and 200 Mio mto per year with around 80% used for food applications. The main crops used are, in decreasing order, soy, palm, rapeseed, and sunflower. 

Many factors dictate which oilseed species will be grown and /or imported into a country. The local need for high-protein feed meals probably is the leading factor. As shown in Table 8.6, the oil content of row crop oilseeds varies from about 20 percent for soybeans to 45 percent for sunflower seed and 43 to 45 percent for rapeseed/canola. More feed coproducts always are produced than oils—by a ratio of as much as 4 1 in the case of soybeans. Soybean meal is the major feed protein source for production of poultry, currently the leading domestic and global meat source, and for the rapidly developing aquaculture industries. For example, Malaysia, which produces nearly two-thirds of the... 

Oilseed crops are major agricultural commodities grown globally. Total world oilseed production was about 450 milhon tonnes during the 2010-2011 crop year (USDA, 2011). It is expected that oilseed production will increase to 460 million tonnes in 2011-2012. About 376 million tonnes of oilseeds were crushed for oil in 2010. Currently rapeseed, canola, soybean, cottonseed, peanuts and sunflower seed are the most important commercial oilseeds. 

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