Free of charge

Rapeseed: Quietude has grabbed the market

March 16, 2018 at 12:38 PM , Starry Night Ltd.
Play report as audio

SOFIA. Active trade activities have long passed, swiftly depleting remaining quantities in the few months after harvest. Weather conditions during the month will be changeable.

BULGARIA. The Winter has been quite mild, more like having the traits of an early Spring, with a few snow falls, the heaviest of which fell a few weeks ago. Yet, according to farmers in different regions throughout the country, the general conditions of the crop look good. Till the end of the month, the weather forecast predicts temperatures to fluctuate between as high as 25 Celsius degrees and as low as - 3 Celsius degrees. During the period, agrometeorological conditions will alternate from intermittent showers, to snowfalls accompanied by lower temperatures in regions, to sunny days underlined by higher temperatures.

Rapeseed: the expected quietude has settled on the market

The active period for trade of rapeseed has long passed. Yearly, brisk exports quickly deplete stocks early in the season and what is left for later in the marketing year is an optimistic outlook for the upcoming harvest. The processing of rapeseed locally is limited and imports usually represent a small share annually – by the end of last marketing season, imports reached 33,743 mt while the aggregate output of the country accounted to 509,251 mt.

       Harvest 2017-18

(01.07.2017 – 09.03.2018)

          units in MT

Beginning availability

25,000

Aggregate output

458,110

Imports

32,655

Domestic consumption

50,400

   oil & biodiesel production

50,400

Exports to the world

423,461

   to EU markets

389,965

   to rest of the world

33,496

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Yet, since foreign demand -- indeed that by EU markets, which so far represents a share of 85.12% of this year’s aggregate output -- has been so strong, local supply should have long adjusted itself. However, there seems to be no concrete indicators for such an adjustment, just the opposite since farmers planted lesser area of the crop for the upcoming harvesting season. The most certain means through which a country could increase or decrease its production is via husbandry decision during sowing time, putting aside the unintended consequences of agrometeorological conditions. Will the optimistic outlook turn into a pessimistic one remains to be seen!

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Oilseeds
Jul 16, 2025
SOFIA/WASHINGTON, D.C. The weather in Bulgaria is expected to remain hot and dry for the time being. According to data from the USDA, sunflower seed crops in Russia and Moldova are higher than expected. At the same time, the forecast for Ukraine has been revised downwards.
Oilseeds
Jul 15, 2025
DALIAN. While there is disagreement about the size of the acreage for Shine Skins, the Lady Nails variety is becoming increasingly popular, which is also reflected in planting figures. GWS kernels and Snow Whites are proving to be more stable.
Nuts
Jul 14, 2025
NEW DELHI. Although prices on the Indian peanut market have declined again, traders are optimistic that this could soon change. Several factors point to price increases in the near future.
Oilseeds
Jul 10, 2025
ASTANA. A recovery in crops and EU tariffs on Russian flaxseed imports have caused Kazakhstan's flaxseed exports to double. Around 74% of exports went to China and Belgium.