• How much sunflower oil does Australia import?
  • Australia currently imports around $100 million of sunflower oil, a market opportunity that some of the smaller vegetable oil processors in regional Australia are keen to tap into. A field of sunflowers in full bloom. Polyunsaturated sunflower oil is high in linoleic acid and is primarily used in margarine and bottled oils.
  • What challenges does the sunflower industry face in Australia?
  • In Australia, the local sunflower industry faces a number of challenges including supply deficit, distance of production areas from processors, and price competition for both oil and meal relative to other oilseed crops. The variable and at times harsh conditions in the country can make growing sunflower a risky and challenging business.
  • Why did Queensland Farmers stop growing sunflowers?
  • Farmers in Queensland’s Central Highlands stopped growing sunflowers due to market pressures and disease. (Supplied: Tim Gersbach) An ambitious plan to produce vegetable oil for biofuel could see a town in Queensland recrowned Australia’s sunflower capital.
  • Is monounsaturated sunflower a good crop in Australia?
  • In Australia, high oleic lines of monounsaturated sunflower have overtaken polyunsaturated sunflower as the dominant planting crop; today 60% of the crop is monounsaturated sunflower. Sunflower oil consumption ranks behind only canola and palm.
  • How much oleic sunflower oil is grown in Australia?
  • Of the approximately 5 million tonnes of oilseed grown in Australia each year, sunflower seed accounts for just 40,000 tonnes, while canola (4.2 million tonnes) and cottonseed (0.8 million tonnes) remain the heavy weights. However, there is a consistent demand for high oleic sunflower oil, the bulk of which is imported from overseas.
  • Which countries produce the most sunflower oil?
  • For the same period, the production of sunflower oil increased on average almost 4% per year, accounting for 16.6% of the world’s production. Production of sunflower oil is dominated by China, India, and Turkey with 21%, 21%, and 27%, respectively, during the period from 1990 to 2010. Australia accounts for 1.7% of oil production ( Table 20.B ).