Global rapeseed planting area projected to increase in 2021-’22 marketing year

The global area planted to rapeseed is likely to reach 35.6 million hectares in the 2021-’22 crop year, according to recent information published by the International Grain Council. This would be a 1.4 percent increase on the current crop year. Canada is expected to see the biggest rise in area. The country could produce rapeseed on around 8.7 million hectares for the 2021 harvest. This would translate to a 4.6 percent rise on the year. However, these figures are strongly prognostic, because sowings will not be made until spring 2021. On the other hand, the comparatively low stocks in Canada and high rapeseed prices suggest that the Canadian rapeseed area could be expanded.

Farmers in other important countries where rapeseed is grown will probably also sow more rapeseed in 2021-’22. These countries include India with an increase of 2.8 percent to 7.4 million hectares and Russia with a rise of 1.1 percent to 1.4 million hectares.

By contrast, according to investigations conducted by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), the area planted to rapeseed in the EU-27 plus U.K. will decrease slightly by 0.1 million hectares to 5.5 million hectares. Although Germany and Poland are expected to see an expansion in area, such expansion will not suffice to offset the declines anticipated for France, Southeast Europe and the U.K. The IGC expects a sharp decrease of 16.4 percent to 0.9 million hectares for Ukraine as a result of excessively dry conditions at the time of sowing.