The 3rd International Sunflower Seed and Oil Conference (ISSOC) 2019 will take place on the 19th and 20th of July, in Mumbai. This event is organized by the International Sunflower Oil Association (ISOA), and will be hosted by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).
International Sunflower Oil Association (ISOA)
Founded in Rome in 2015, the ISOA was established by national associations and companies from across the globe, namely China, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Spain, and Argentina. Its main objective is to stimulate and enhance communications between sunflower oil producers, industry groups, academic researchers, and local governments. Moreover, it seeks to boost the value addition of sunflower oil while broadening its commercial application scope.
The ISOA’s inception was marked by the 1st International Sunflower Oil Symposium, held in Shanghai, China in October 2015. Following this, the second conference took place in July 2017, in Odessa, Ukraine.
Sunflower Seed: A Healthy Choice
Sunflower seeds are a favored table-seed and culinary seed that have extensive applications in numerous food preparations such as cakes and pastries. In the 2018-19 season, the global production of sunflower seeds reached an estimated 51.41 million tonnes. Meanwhile, sunflower oil and sunflower meal production totaled approximately 19.45 million tonnes and 20.90 million tonnes respectively.
| Leading Producers | Leading Importers (Oil) | Leading Importers (Meal) |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine, Russia, Argentina | India, China, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, EU | China, Turkey, France, the Netherlands, Belarus, Spain, Poland, India |
India’s Role in the Global Sunflower Oil Market
India’s importance in the global sunflower seed and oil market cannot be overstated. As the largest importer of sunflower oil, with imports totaling about 2.8 million tonnes, India’s role is crucial to every producer or exporting country looking for a marketplace. The global imports of this oil approximate around 9.6 million tonnes, showcasing India’s significant contribution.
The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA)
The SEA was conceived in 1963, intended to stimulate and propagate the growth of the Solvent Extraction Industry in India. Currently, the association boasts 875 members which includes about 350 working solvent extraction plants, collectively processing an annual capacity of approximately 30 million tonnes of oilcake/oilseed.
Composed mainly of processors of Rice bran, Oilcakes, Minor Oilseeds, and Soybean, it operates entirely as a private-sector body, while enjoying fiscal autonomy. It also holds the distinction of being the first Association in the Vegetable Oil & Oilseed sector, and possibly one of the few Associations/Chambers in India to receive an ISO 9001:2000 registration. Recognized as a Non-Government Organization (NGO) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, and also as a Trade Promotion Organisation (TPO) by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, it is headquartered in Mumbai.