(Resource News International) — Canadian sunflower producers say increased
oilseed sunflower acreage in the United States will not hurt
the Canadian market as demand from U.S. crushers is also
expected to increase.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
2008-09 prospective planting report, released March 31, forecast U.S. oilseed sunflower acres at 1.848
million, up from 1.764 million acres in 2007-08 and 1.658
million acres in 2006-07.
For confectionary sunflowers,
meanwhile, U.S. growers are expected to plant 305,000 acres in
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previous year.
“I don’t think this increase should hurt us at all,
especially given the request by Frito-Lay for NuSun oil to use
in their product line,” said Darcelle Mabon, executive director of
the National Sunflower Association of Canada (NSAC).
In 2006, Frito-Lay announced it would begin using
sunflower oil in its leading potato chip brands, reducing
saturated fat and increasing mono- and polyunsaturated fats,
commonly known as
“good” fats.
“We’re currently meeting their demand but they’re looking
at expanding NuSun into more of their product line,” Mabon
explained.
Luc Remillard, a producer from St. Joseph, Man., and a
director with NSAC, agreed with Mabon’s assessment that
the latest USDA numbers will have little impact on the
“I expect we’ll see firm prices until the next crop year
given availability, the demand and ending stocks,” Remillard
said.
In Canada, total sunflower acreage (confectionary and
oilseed)is expected to be similar to or slightly above the
215,000 acres planted for the 2007-08 crop year. The
difference will be how the acreage is distributed between the
two varieties.
According to Mabon, oilseed sunflower acres in
2008-09 are expected to range from 70,000 to 75,000, up from
65,500 acres the previous spring. Confectionary acreage,
meanwhile, will remain steady or decline slightly.
The carry-out stock level for the 2008-09 crop year is
estimated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at 15,000
tonnes, down from 20,000 tonnes in 2007-08 and 23,000 in
2006-07.
On March 31, the bid for new-crop oilseed sunflowers
(delivered to elevator) stood at 25 cents per pound, according
to the PrairieAg Hotwire.
