• According to estimates U.S. Department of Agriculture, Romania will record a record canola production this commercial year.
Romanian farmers could produce over 2,2 million tons of rape this commercial year, which is a record for our country. An impressive figure for the rape harvest was also recorded in 2017, when Romania produced over 1,6 million tons.
In Europe we are the fourth largest producer and export leader, the latest report USDA revising up the intra-Community rapeseed production compared to the previous month. Rapeseed seeds are harvested at the end of June and in July.
The USDA document states: "Long-term favorable weather, with rain and sun throughout the canola-growing belt in Northern Europe but also in Central and South-Eastern Europe, has led to increased yield potential. After a wet early spring, dryness in May facilitated reproduction and early pod filling. An exceptional harvest is currently expected.”
In recent years, rapeseed culture has grown in popularity among Romanian farmers amid global macroeconomic changes. Cultivated area is on an upward trend, from 460.000 ha in 2022 to 603.000 ha as estimated for 2023.
Romania – the largest European exporter of rapeseed
In 2022, Romania's rapeseed production was over 1,2 million tons from approximately 469.000 ha. For this commercial year, it is estimated that Romania could be the fourth largest European rapeseed producer, after France which could reach 4,8 million tons, Germany - 4,5 million tons and Poland - 3,4 million tons.
In 2022, compared to 2021, the EU cultivated rapeseed on a 10,2% larger area, and the area cultivated with rapeseed placed Romania in fourth place among the member states. Its share in the total area cultivated with rape a European Union decreased by 0,3 percentage points, compared to the previous year. Last year, France together with Germany, the second largest producer, obtained 45,4% of the total EU production.
Data from the European Commission show that for the 2022/2023 commercial year (01/07/2022-04/06/2023), Romania exported 146.131 tons of rapeseed, i.e. 28% of the total amount sold by the EU outside its territory. Romania is thus the largest European exporter, followed by Lithuania, with exports of 73.234 tons and Latvia with 70.820 tons of rapeseed exported.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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