Ukraine's largest sunflower oil producer and exporter, Kernel agroholding, has announced the shutdown of all its oil extraction plants. The decision was prompted by massive Russian strikes on Ukraine's food industry enterprises.
This was reported by Kernel's press service. A separate official publication about the complete shutdown of the plants could not yet be found in open sources.
According to the company, Russian attacks forced the agroholding to cease operations at all its oilseed processing enterprises. This refers to production facilities that ensure the output of sunflower oil and other processed products.
Information on the timing of production resumption, the number of affected enterprises, and possible product losses has not yet been specified.
Earlier, Russian strikes had already led to the shutdown of individual Kernel facilities. In July 2026, the company suspended operations of its export terminals in Chornomorsk after massive shelling of port infrastructure.
At that time, equipment, power lines, grain silos, and sunflower oil storage tanks were damaged. According to the company, about 45,000 tons of wheat and 9,000 tons of sunflower oil were affected by the attacks.
The consequences of the Russian attacks have already significantly affected the agroholding's export figures. According to Kernel's operational report for July–September 2026, vegetable oil sales dropped by 48% compared to the same period last year, to 165,000 tons.
At the same time, the oilseed processing volume was 564,000 tons, remaining almost at last year's level. This indicated that the main negative impact on sales during that period was caused by disruptions in port logistics.
Kernel is one of the largest players in the global sunflower oil market. The company is engaged in growing agricultural crops, processing oilseeds, producing vegetable oil, and exporting agricultural products.
The complete shutdown of processing enterprises could affect the agroholding's production and export capabilities. However, the scale of financial losses and possible impact on sunflower oil prices have not yet been assessed.
Based on materials from: Kernel, Forbes Ukraine.
