Two-thirds of rapeseed imports into the European Union (EU) were supplied by Ukraine in the first quarter of the current crop year, according to a report by Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Oil and Plant Proteins (UFOP).
During the period, EU rapeseed imports exceeded the previous year’s volumes, the 18 October report said.
From the beginning of the crop year to 6 October, EU-27 imports of rapeseed totalled 1.41M tonnes, an increase of just over 17% compared to the previous year.
Used to supplement EU production supply, demand for imports was high this season due to the bloc’s below average 2024 harvest, the report said.
Supplying 960,400 tonnes, a 68% share of imports and a 60% increase from the previous year's 599,400 tonnes, Ukraine remained the most important country of origin.
However, based on a 25% decline in Ukraine’s harvest compared to the previous year, the country is unlikely to sustain this export volume in the coming months, according to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft.
Australia is the EU’s second most important rapeseed supplier, delivering 351,800 tonnes and accounting for 25% of EU rapeseed imports, a 3% increase compared to the same period the previous year.
Supplying 56,200 tonnes, Moldova ranked third although deliveries to the EU more than halved compared to the same period in the previous year and most of the rapeseed was likely to have originated in Ukraine, the report said.
Although Canada had not supplied any significant quantity this year, it could increase its share of imports due to its bumper crop and the loss of China as an importing country.
However, the use of Canadian rapeseed in the EU is restricted due to its genetically modified varieties, making the biofuels market the most important trade channel for Canadian rapeseed oil, according to the report.
