MOSCOW (April 08 2003) : Russia's sunoil exports may exceed imports bysome 10,000 tonnes in the 2002-03 season due to higher output and stabledemand.

Russia exports mostly raw sunoil and imports refined oil.

SovEcon forecasts Russia's total sunoil output at a record high of 1.375million tonnes against 1.07 million last season.

It forecasts exports this season to rise to 165,000 tonnes, as compared to45,067 in 2001-02.

But despite vigorous growth in domestic output, sunoil imports in 2002-03are expected to decline only marginally to 155,000 tonnes from 174,677tonnes last season.

In October-January 2002-03, Russian total exports of sunflower oilincreased to 54,320 tonnes, which was slightly above Russian sunoilimports of 54,080 tonnes.

In 2001-02 (October-September), Russia's total sunoil exports dropped to45,067 tonnes, reflecting a decline in domestic production due to a poorharvest of sunseed.

The 2002 bumper sunseed harvest of 3.68 million tonnes (2001: 2.685million tonnes) enables domestic crushers to boost sunoil production.

In October-February 2002-03, sunoil production by major crushing plantsrose to 528,000 tonnes, or by 28 percent from last year's levels.

In October-January, Russian raw sunoil deliveries amounted to 46,921tonnes, or 86 percent of total exports.

In contrast to sunoil exports, refined sunoil accounts for 93 percent ofRussia's total sunoil imports.-Reuters