The European Union (EU) has imported 4.6M tonnes of rapeseed from non-EU countries in the 2022/23 crop year to date, Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) reported.
Rapeseed imports into the EU from July 2022-February 2023 increased by 45% compared to the same period the previous year despite abundant supplies of EU rapeseed, UFOP said.
The main reason for the increase was availability and prices on the global market, the 2 March report said.
According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), Ukraine maintained its top position among the key rapeseed suppliers to the EU in the current crop year despite the ongoing war. With 2.6M tonnes, just under 63% more than in the same period the previous year, the country accounted for 56% of EU rapeseed imports. This share compared to 50% in 2021/22.
Australia gained in importance due to a bumper crop and now ranked as the second most important supplier to the EU with 1.7M tonnes and a 36.4% share. This was double the volume compared to the same period the previous year.
Meanwhile, imports from Canada slumped from 501,800 tonnes to 193,400 tonnes, representing a drop from 12% to 4.2% of total share of EU imports.
Supply from Moldova and Serbia to the EU-27 also declined compared to 2021/22, the report said.
UFOP said that last year’s fears of bottlenecks had been mitigated by shipments to EU member states bordering Ukraine, with suppliers seeking alternative delivery routes to closed or blockaded seaports.
