Lang
Global rapeseed area for the 2025–2026 marketing season is estimated at around 44.1 million hectares, according to International Grains Council (IGC) estimates cited by the German Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP).
Reports issued on November 28 said this represents a 1.4% increase compared with the current season, making it the largest rapeseed area ever planted.
The IGC estimated that farmers in the European Union expanded production areas by around 4% to reach 6 million hectares, driven by higher prices.
In Germany, rapeseed stands were reported to be in good condition, despite heavy rainfall in some areas and dry periods in eastern Germany during planting, with only a small share of land requiring replanting.
At the time of the report, the outlook for rapeseed production in the major exporting countries remained unclear.
In India, planting and growing conditions in Rajasthan, the country’s most important rapeseed-producing region, were affected by drought.
In addition, India’s rapeseed area fell by an estimated 7.2% to 3.12 million hectares.
Although planting in Canada and Australia had not yet begun at the time of the report, current estimates indicated that production areas in both countries could expand, provided demand remains stable.
In the United States, rapeseed area was likely to increase by 8.3%, according to the report.
According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, this increase would be driven by stronger demand from the fuel sector after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supported the use of biofuels in road transport and aviation.
In mid-2024, the EPA approved the use of rapeseed oil as a feedstock for biofuel production, leading to a sharp increase in rapeseed imports, according to the report.