Soyabean supply in the European Union (EU) is forecast to rise again this year due to an expansion in production area, according to a report by Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) quoting the latest EU Commission data.
This year’s production was expected to total around 3M tonnes, representing a year-on-year increase of just under 15% and a new record, the 14 July report said.
With a current projection of 1.1M tonnes, Italy is forecast to record the biggest increase in production, according to the data. This would represent a 29% year-on-year rise and would increase the country’s share of European soyabean production to just under 38%.
Total soyabean production in the EU had more than tripled over the past 10 years, the report said, and the output of other member states was also expected to exceed the previous year’s level.
France, the second largest EU soyabean supplier, is forecast to see a 4% increase in production to 457,000 tonnes, according to the report, while Austria’s output is projected at 286,000 tonnes, an increase of just under 22% compared to the previous year.
German producers, who harvested a significant amount of soyabeans for the first time in 2016, were forecast to produce 136,000 tonnes – around 27% more than in 2021 – which meant that the country’s production would have more than tripled over the past six years.
By contrast, Romania’s harvest, which was currently forecast at 331,000 tonnes, was expected to fall 4% short of the previous year’s level, the report said.
According to information published by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), the main reason for the growth in soyabean supply in the EU-27 is an expansion in planted area.
The EC estimates the current soyabean area at around 1M hectares, representing an expected increase of just less than 9% compared to the previous year and setting a new record.
