Rusagro almost stopped sales of sunflower and soybeans at the end of last year

Sales of oilseeds (sunflower and soybeans) at Rusagro Group in the fourth quarter of 2022 decreased by 98% compared to the same period the year before. This follows from the operating results of the company itself, published on January 30. It says that at the end of 2021, it sold 51,000 tons of sunflower and 169,000 tons of soybeans on the market, a year later, the figures fell to 1,000 tons and 4,000 tons, respectively. Total annual sales also declined – by 62% for sunflower (to 23,000 tons) and by 55% for soybeans (to 148,000 tons). In the document itself, the drop is explained by the postponement of oilseed sales to 2023, when higher profitability is expected in this segment. A request to Rusagro remained unanswered.

Oilseed prices in the fourth quarter of 2022 were at the lowest level over the past few years, so there was virtually no activity in this market, Kirill Lozovoy, an analyst at OleoScope, an industry analytical agency, said. According to the monitoring data of this company, in October sunflower seeds in the Central Federal District were sold at 24,442 rubles. per 1 ton, and soybeans – 34,562 rubles. per 1 ton. A year earlier, these products cost 39,234 rubles. for 1 ton and 51,664 rubles. for 1 ton, respectively. Such prices did not suit many farmers, especially since they were forced to bear the cost of delivering raw materials to processing plants, which cost 1,000–2,000 rubles. for 1 ton, explains the interlocutor of Vedomosti in one of the agro-industrial holdings.