Browse Data and Analysis

FAS/Pretoria’s Oilseeds and Products annual report provides information on the production, supply, and distribution for soybean, sunflowerseed, and rapeseed in South Africa for marketing year (MY) 2023/24, MY 2024/25, and MY 2025/26.

Taiwan’s soybean imports are forecast at 2.65 MMT for MY2024/2025 and MY2025/2026, a slight increase from the previous MY.

Soybeans from the United States are once again eligible to enter South Africa. After a mid-summer drought that caused a 35 percent drop in production, South Africa needs to import soybeans to supplement domestic production and maintain crushing demand.

Côte d’Ivoire ranks as Africa’s second largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO); trailing just behind Nigeria’s production, it is a pivotal player in the sub-Saharan regional market.

While the United States holds a 5-year average of less than 1 percent market share ($20.7 million in 2023 exports), Senegal has a growing food manufacturing industry that seeks cost-competitive ingredients and is expanding its exports to neighboring countries.

Côte d'Ivoire is one of the leading producers of palm oil in Africa, with annual production exceeding 500,000 metric tons since 2018. The country consumes over 75% of its palm oil production domestically, with palm oil being a staple for 90% of the population. The high domestic demand for palm oil outstrips supply, creating intense competition for fresh fruit bunches (FFB).

Fresh fruit bunch (FBB) and kernel yields are expected to remain high in MY2024/25 due to stabilized fertilizer prices and a good weather forecast. In response to the growing domestic and export demands, MY2024/25 soybean production forecast has been raised by 16 percent over the preceding year’s estimate.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.

Due to higher input costs associated with planting corn, rice, and other crops, soybean and peanut production is expected to increase in marketing year (MY) 2024/25. Private sector investors are expanding oil palm production and increasing processing capacity to take advantage of strong demand and high prices.

Taiwan’s soybean imports are forecast at 2.65 MMT for MY2023/2024 and MY2024/2025, a slight recovery from the previous MY. Weakness in feed demand due to animal diseases was one of the causes for lower soybean imports and reduced crush for MY 2022/2023.

Post forecasts that South Africa’s oilseed area will be maintained at elevated levels in marketing year 2024/25. South Africa’s summer rainfall oilseed crops in marketing year 2023/24 have been affected by an El Niño induced mid-summer drought, resulting in an expected major drop in crop volumes, creating an optimistic outlook for higher crop area in marketing year 2024/25.

Post estimates that South Africa will produce a record rapeseed (locally called canola) crop of 220,000 metric tons in marketing year 2023/24.