A new factory for the production of sunflower seeds is launching production in the Krasnodar region to meet 25% of Russia's needs.

In the summer of 2025, a plant producing domestic sunflower seeds will be fully operational, as reported by the head of the joint-stock company "Shchelkovo Agrokhim", Salis Karakotov, to the field.ru magazine during the All-Russian Field Day in Mineralnye Vody. The plant's production capacity will be about 1 million planting units of sunflower, and processing of 15-17 thousand tons of seed husks will also be carried out in accordance with localization rules.

The project is being implemented jointly with the company "Cosminvest". The new enterprise "Helianta" is located in the village of Starominskaya in the Krasnodar Territory.

According to the company's director, Salis Karakotov, this will satisfy 25% of Russia's demand for sunflower seeds. This year, as part of the first phase of the project, "Helianta" plans to produce 500-600 thousand planting units, which will account for 10% of the total market volume.

"We have spent about 2 billion rubles on breeding work over 12-13 years, and the construction of the seed plant will cost us approximately the same amount," noted the head of "Shchelkovo Agrokhim".

According to the investor, the project's implementation is driven by the need to develop sunflower breeding in Russia, as it is currently underdeveloped, and the consumption market is fully dependent on the import of foreign seeds.

Earlier, the "National Seed Alliance" reported that the share of hybrid and variety sunflower seeds of domestic breeding in 2024 will be 50%.