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In 2024, the total processing capacity of oilseeds in Russia may reach 33 million tons compared to 31 million tons in 2023. This information was shared by the Executive Director of the Fat-and-Oil Union, Mikhail Maltsev, with the journal pole.rf. He also noted that considering the projects already launched and planned to increase production capacities, an additional 4 million tons could be added in two years.
Maltsev reminded about the task set by President Vladimir Putin to increase agricultural production by 25% and export growth by 1.5 times by 2030. At the current pace of increasing oilseed production, the industry is prepared to meet these targets exceeding the baseline indicators.
Analyst OleoScope Kirill Lozovoy told "Agroinvestor" that this year, approximately 1.5-2 million tons of new oilseed processing capacities may be introduced. By the end of last year, their total volume was estimated at around 30.9 million tons. According to him, the emergence of new plants is facilitated by the growing demand for Russian finished products abroad, as well as current export regulation measures regarding oilseeds, which allow processing a significant portion of domestic harvest in the domestic market. For example, the volume of sunflower processing at the end of last year exceeded 16 million tons, although in 2022, the figure was only 14.3 million tons.
The emergence of new fat-and-oil enterprises will contribute to increased competition for raw materials in Russian regions, noted Lozovoy. One example of the current season is the situation with soybeans, where the demand for high-protein beans among processors was extremely high, which catalyzed the rise in the cost of oilseeds, despite the negative global situation. Lozovoy said, "As for frosts, it is premature to give estimates regarding oilseeds; this can be done in the coming weeks. I would like to note that replanting is possible, especially for sunflowers."
According to the March forecast of OleoScope, this year, the sowing areas of the four main oilseed crops in Russia could increase to more than 17 million hectares, compared to 16.96 million hectares in 2023. Experts expected a reduction in sunflower acreage to 9.55-9.7 million hectares, but note its reliability due to the growing number of processing plants and high competition for raw materials.
The soybean sown area is expected to increase to 4 million hectares due to the high profitability of this crop and intense competition for high-protein beans. Expansion of rapeseed acreage to 2.25-2.35 million hectares is also predicted. However, farmers face difficulties with both winter and spring rapeseed due to problems with planting material. The flaxseed sowing areas will also increase and will amount to 1.45-1.55 million hectares.
