EU’s 2022 rapeseed crop projected at 5-year high

According to recent information published by the EU Commission, the EU rapeseed harvest in 2022 will likely exceed the previous year’s by nearly 8 percent. It is currently projected at 18.30 million metric tons. In fact, it would be the largest harvest since 2017.

The main factor for the presumably larger harvests in the most important rapeseed-producing EU countries is the 7.5 percent expansion in production area compared to the previous year to 5.7 million hectares (14 million acres). At this point, harvest estimates are naturally still vague, because the harvest result will be determined by weather conditions in the coming weeks.

There has been a lack of rain, especially in the north and east of Germany. However, pest pressure has been low due to persistently cool temperatures. As a result, most winter-planted crops are nevertheless in good condition all across Germany.

The EU Commission expects the German rapeseed harvest to reach 3.97 million tons. This would translate to a 13 percent rise year-on-year.

France is also expected to see a harvest increase around of 16 percent to 3.83 million tons of rapeseed compared to 2021, despite frosts and lack of rain. By contrast, according to investigations conducted by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), Poland, the third most important rapeseed producer within the European Union, is likely to harvest just under 5 percent less, around 3.04 million tons.

For the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania and Denmark, the EU Commission expects an expansion in area planted, which supports the estimate of the total harvest.