EU Commission expects smaller soybean output

An updated estimate by the EU Commission suggests that this year’s soybean harvest in the EU-27 falls slightly short of the previous year’s level, following a reduction in cultivation area for the 2025 harvest.

The expected yield increases cannot offset this decline in area.

In its latest estimate, the EU Commission marginally raised its forecast for soybean production in the EU.

According to this information, the 2025 harvest is up about 18,000 metric tons on the October estimate, reaching just under 2.9 million tons.

Nevertheless, this still represents an estimated decrease of 106,000 tons year-on-year.

The drop is due to a 7 percent reduction in area planted, as average yields are expected to exceed the previous year’s level of 268 tons per hectare, as well as the long-term average, rising to 278 tons per hectare.

Italy remains the EU’s leading soybean-producing country, with output totalling 1.1 million tons, followed by France with 387,000 tons.

Harvests in the Balkan states are projected to fall short of the previous year’s levels.

This especially applies to Romania with an output of 245,000 tons—representing a year-on-year decrease of 54,000 tons—despite a 12 percent reduction in area.

According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), German farmers harvested 134,000 tons of soybeans, representing an almost 2 percent increase compared with 2024.