The Ministry of Agriculture has published export duty rates for sunflower products for September 2026. The duty on sunflower oil will amount to 14,377.7 rubles per ton against 7,748 rubles in August. The rate on sunflower meal will increase from 312.4 to 1,958.8 rubles per ton.
The reason for the jump lies in the design of the calculation. The fee is calculated as 70% of the difference between the base price and the indicative price, where the indicative price is the arithmetic average of market prices for the month. The base price for oil is 90,750 rubles per ton, for meal — 17,463 rubles. Indicative prices for September are set at $1,319.9 per ton of oil against $1,298.5 a month earlier and $240.3 per ton of meal against $228.
The movement of indicative prices looks modest: plus $21.4 for butter and plus $12.3 for meal. But when calculating the difference from the base price, a small quote shift gives a multiple change in the fee. According to the meal, the effect is maximum: the indicative price has approached the base from below, and every dollar of growth is multiplied in the rate.
The sunflower damper mechanism has been operating since September 1, 2021. Initially, the rates were calculated in dollars, starting in July 2022 — in rubles. In October 2025, the government extended the floating duties until August 31, 2028, so that the planning horizon for this mechanism is closed for two years in advance.
The economy is considered directly for the exporter. For shipments of 5,000 tons of oil, the September rate gives 71.9 million rubles of duty against 38.7 million in August — the difference exceeds 33 million rubles. For a processor operating on a thin margin, this is the value that changes the shipping decision.
Practical steps for the coming days. Check which parties actually have time to file a declaration before August 31, and estimate the cost of acceleration against savings on the rate. For contracts with September shipment, raise the condition on the distribution of duties between the parties: in many contracts, the wording is unclear, and the dispute arises after shipment. And put a monthly recalculation into the model: the next rates will be released at the end of September, and the government periodically reviews the base prices.
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