Ukraine’s sunflower oil output will climb by almost 18 percent to a record 3.7 million metric tons in the marketing year that started Sept. 1 compared with a year earlier, UkrAgroConsult said.

The increase will follow an almost 19 percent gain in the sunflower-seed harvest in 2011, the Kiev-based agricultural researcher said in an e-mailed statement. UkrAgroConsult’s December estimate was for 3.66 million tons. Production of the oilseed rose in the five months from September through January to 1.62 million tons, 20 percent more than a year earlier, the researcher said.

Sunflower oil exports will be 3 million tons in the marketing year, compared with 2.67 million tons in the previous season, which ended on Aug. 31, the researcher said. Shipments declined 1.2 percent in September through January to 1.13 million tons due to adverse weather and competition from Russia, the researcher said. Exports will probably rise in February through April and be 270,000 tons to 300,000 tons in February, the researcher said.

UkrAgroConsult estimated that sunflower-seed planting will rise for the 2012 harvest to 5.3 million hectares (13.1 million acres) from 5.25 million hectares a year earlier. The sunflower seed harvest will be more than 9 million tons in 2012 from 8.66 million tons, while yields will probably decline to 1.75 tons a hectare from 1.78 tons, the researcher said.

Russia will produce 3.3 million tons of sunflower oil in the year from Sept. 1, of which 1.1 million tons will be exported, according to UkrAgroConsult.

Bloomberg