Ukraine continues to export sunflower oil through all available routes in September, although shipment volumes remain significantly below their potential level. During the first 15 days of September 2026, the country exported 131,000 tonnes of sunflower oil. Under normal logistics conditions, shipments could have reached around 212,000 tonnes. Actual exports were therefore approximately 38% below potential, operating at only 62% of the normal level.
The main reason is limited maritime logistics capacity and the difficulty of rapidly replacing the throughput of the Greater Odesa ports. Of the total September shipments, around 60,000 tonnes of sunflower oil were transported through Danube ports, another 50,000 tonnes by rail, and approximately 20,000 tonnes by road. Alternative routes therefore account for a significant share of exports but still lack sufficient capacity to fully compensate for reduced seaborne shipments.
The problem was already evident in August. According to UCAB data, Ukraine exported 147,100 tonnes of sunflower oil that month, down 43.1% from July. Total vegetable oil exports declined by 14% to 279,300 tonnes. At the same time, Ukraine’s overall agri-food exports fell by 41.5% to 2.15 million tonnes, the lowest monthly level recorded since the beginning of 2026.
The situation is particularly important for Ukraine’s oilseed sector, as sunflower oil remains one of the country’s key agricultural export products. Rail, road and Danube routes allow shipments to continue but cannot fully replace the capacity of deep-water seaports. Further export volumes will therefore depend primarily on the stability of maritime logistics and the ability to increase the capacity of alternative export corridors.