Wide Demand For Sunflower Seeds

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 97, 13 February 1950, Page 8

Wide Demand For Sunflower Seeds

The world-wide shortage of vegetable oils has stimulated Australian interest in the production of sunflower seed from which oil can be extracted.

In Victoria and Queensland, farmers have shown that profitable sunflower crops can be raised. Queensland at present grows 500 to 800 tons of sunflower seed a year, most of this being absorbed into the birdseed trade. A survey made by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation shows that a market could be found for another 30,000 tons of seed for use as edible oil in food processing, as a substitute for linseed oil and for use in the manufacture of cosmetics and soaps. The giant sunflower which has been grown in Queensland for some time is losing favour with farmers who are paying increased attention to dwarf varieties which are more easily harvested mechanically, and can be handled with normal wheatharvesting machinery. Mennonite and Sunrise are popular dwarf varieties. Mennonite yields an average of 750 to 10001 bto the acre, with an oil content of about 23.5 per cent. Sunrise holds its seed well and has shown an oil content of 28.8 per cent.