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The European Union (EU) is becoming increasingly reliant on rapeseed imports due to a decline in domestic production of the oilseed last year, according to a report from Germany's Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP).
According to the European Commission's (EC) latest forecasts, the EU's total rapeseed harvest for 2024 is expected to reach around 17.2 million tonnes, with a processing volume of about 23 million tonnes.
From the start of the 2024/25 crop year through 19 January 2025, total EU rapeseed imports reached 3.4 million tonnes, up slightly more than 5% compared with the previous year.
Most of these imports are heading to German oil mills, which have a processing capacity of around 10 million tonnes of rapeseed annually, according to a report published on 30 January.
Ukraine remained the EU's leading rapeseed supplier, accounting for 63% of total imports, with volumes rising slightly from 2.1 million tonnes the previous year to 2.2 million tonnes.
Australia retained its position as the EU's second-largest rapeseed supplier, accounting for around 26% of the bloc's total imports. By mid-January, it had shipped 875,000 tonnes of rapeseed to the bloc.
According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, this figure represents an increase of about 19% compared with the same period the previous year.
A further wave of imports from Australia is expected in the second half of the crop year, the report noted.
Although still at low levels, Canadian exports more than tripled year-on-year, reaching 144,000 tonnes.
Because Canadian farmers grow genetically modified (GM) varieties, the use of rapeseed oil extracted from Canadian seed is restricted within the EU, meaning these imports are used mainly for biofuel production.
Meanwhile, Serbia and Moldova supplied only minimal volumes compared with their export levels the previous year.
Source: Al Mal Forum