Rapeseed: Will the weather be on farmers’ side?

May 3, 2018 at 2:34 PM , Starry Night Ltd.
Play report as audio

SOFIA. Encouraged by the success of the current season, farmers planted more for the upcoming one. Yet, the weather will have the final word.

BULGARIA. The country is a relatively small regional producer of rapeseed: harvest 2017-18 accounted to 458,110 mt. The quality of the crop has usually not been an issue, and as a result, its output is swiftly bought out after harvest, as is mainly exported to EU countries. Depending on the oil content of the crop, prices could rise quite high on occasions. A case in point, after harvest ended within the Northeast region last year, rapeseed with oil content of 44.8% hit as high a price as 0.381 EUR/kg EXW a farmer’s storage facility. Such a state of favorable market affairs encouraged local farmers to strategically plan their cultivation initiatives and increase planted acreages, even if the rise is not a drastic one.

        Harvest 2017-18

(01.07.2017 – 27.04.2018)

            units in MT

Beginning availability

25,000

Aggregate output

458,110

Imports

32,655

Domestic consumption

56,000

   oil & biodiesel production

56,000

Exports to the world

428,461

   to EU markets

389,965

   to rest of the world

38,496

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Rapeseed: Data shows more planted land. Yet, the weather will decide in the end

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, by the 26th of April 2018, planted rapeseed land stood at 185,213 ha, which on a yearly basis is by 9.2% higher, including fallen-through acreages of 540 ha. By the start of the harvesting season though, which is expected to happen in about a two-months’ time – provided weather conditions allowed it to begin since too much rains delated harvest 2017-18 – availability of rapeseed land could actually be lower. The reason is that farmers within the Southeast – the region that customarily harvest the highest rate of output – complained of earlier unfavorable weather conditions. In addition, the recent higher than normal temperatures for the season make farmers anxious about yield prospects. Anyhow, the meteorological forecast during the current month predicts periods of higher than normal temperatures, followed by days of intermittent showers, while in the third-ten days period of May, hailstorms are expected to fall.

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Nuts
Nov 25, 2024
NEW DELHI/BUENOS AIRES. Prices for Indian peanuts are currently volatile and there is disagreement as to whether they will rise or fall in the coming weeks; both seem possible. Argentine market players are facing numerous challenges.
Grains
Nov 22, 2024
BRUSSELS. With the war in Ukraine taking new terrible turns concerns are growing that wheat and corn will be impacted. Rumour has it that France exported much more wheat to Morrocco than official figures suggest. US soybean exporters depend much less on China than one may think. Euronext rapeseed futures have slipped.
Oilseeds
Nov 21, 2024
NEW DELHI/BRASÍLIA. India's sesame seed exports increased significantly in volume terms in October 2024, while the export value rose only moderately due to lower prices. Despite a smaller crop, the recent price declines could be only temporary.
Oilseeds
Nov 21, 2024
CHRUDIM. Larger acreages and higher yields have significantly increased the Czech blue poppy seed crop this year. This has ensured that prices have become noticeably more favourable again compared to previous years.