Russia extends export duties on sunflower seeds, oil, meal until Aug 31, 2028

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The Russian government has passed a resolution to extend export duties on sunflower seeds, sunflower oil and meal until August 31, 2028, the Cabinet's press service reported.

The extension of the duties was approved at a meeting of the sub-commission for customs tariff and non-tariff regulation and protective measures in foreign trade of the government's commission for economic development and integration in September 2025.

This refers to the export duty of 50% but not less than 32,000 rubles per tonne on sunflower seeds, as well as floating export duties on sunflower oil and meal, which are calculated as 70% of the difference between indicative and base export prices. The duties apply to exports outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

"The decision is intended to stimulate processing of oil crops inside the country, maintain the stability of pricing on the domestic food market, and support the affordability of sunflower oil for consumers and sunflower meal for the livestock farming sector. It will also facilitate the predictability of the market for its participants in the long term," the press release said.

The 50% export duty on sunflower seeds was imposed on July 1, 2021 and was initially set to expire on August 31, 2022, but was subsequently regularly extended by a year. In 2024, it was extended for two years, until August 31, 2026.

Russia introduced a so-called "sunflower damper" that involves imposing floating export duties on sunflower oil and meal on September 1, 2021. It was also initially annually extended by a year, and in 2024 by two years.