Sunflower sets records: yield of 19 centners per hectare versus 12.8 the previous year.

Russian farmers are reporting record sunflower yields in 2026. The average yield has reached 19 centners per hectare (c/ha), up from 12.8 c/ha last year. In the Voronezh region, the "Arneb Sur" hybrid demonstrated a yield of up to 35 c/ha. Results exceeded 31 c/ha in the Krasnodar Territory and reached 32 c/ha in the Kherson region. The total planted area amounted to approximately 13.3 million hectares, with the Saratov region leading at 1.69 million hectares. Forecasts for the total harvest are being revised upward; the USDA has raised its estimate to 21 million tonnes, while RUSEED and ProZerno project 20.5–20.7 million tonnes—a record figure. This represents an increase of nearly 3 million tonnes over last year's result. The growth was driven by farmers reducing spring wheat plantings in favor of sunflowers due to wet spring conditions; the total area reached 13.1 million hectares, compared to 12.26 million hectares in 2025. Global sunflower production in the 2026/27 season could reach a record 62.7 million tonnes, a 13% increase over the previous season.
Source: https://www.zol.ru/n/423bd