The rapeseed harvest in the European Union (EU) this year is forecast to reach a five-year record, according to the latest European Union (EU) Commission data reported by the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP).
Forecast to exceed last year’s harvest by just under 8%, the rapeseed crop is currently projected at 18.30M tonnes, according to the 19 May report.
Despite low rainfall in some regions of the EU, the report expected the 2022 German and French rapeseed harvests to be larger than last year mainly due to a 7.5% expansion in production area – to 5.7M ha – compared to the previous year.
Harvest estimates were still uncertain, however, as they were dependant on weather conditions in the coming weeks, the report said.
There has been a lack of rainfall, particularly in the north and east of Germany, according to the report, although pest problems have been low due to persistently cool temperatures. As a result, most winter-planted crops were in good condition throughout Germany, and the EU Commission said it expected the German rapeseed harvest to reach 3.97M tonnes, a 13% year-on-year rise.
The rapeseed harvest in France is also expected to increase by around 16% to 3.83M tonnes compared to last year, according to the report, despite frosts and lack of rainfall.
In contrast, Poland – the EU’s third most important rapeseed producer – is likely to harvest just under 5% less, around 3.04M tonnes, according to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH).
For the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania, the EU Commission said it expected an expansion in planted area, which supported the total harvest estimate.
