Sunflower Seed: export from Canada to ASEAN

Confection and oilseed sunflower are separate trades. Confection seed is larger, striped, sold in-shell for snacking or as dehulled kernels for bakery and snack manufacture, and specified on size, colour, defect and (for in-shell) the ease with which the shell releases. Oilseed varieties are smaller, higher in oil and grown for crushing.

For kernel buyers the practical specification is size grade, colour, moisture, and broken or split kernel tolerance. Kernel colour is a visual attribute customers judge directly in bakery applications.

Canadian production is concentrated in Manitoba and is a smaller trade than canola, so it serves specification-led demand rather than volume-led.

Most export volume moves as raw kernels for local roasting and seasoning rather than as finished snack product. Confirm size grading against your own equipment before contracting, because a size that runs well on one line can jam another.

Confection and oilseed sunflower can classify differently in some schedules, and in-shell versus kernel is a further split. Send us the exact presentation rather than the crop name so the line we confirm is the one you will actually declare.