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.

In marketing year (MY) 2024/25 Bulgaria harvested its lowest oilseed crop for more than a decade due to extremely hot and dry summer weather conditions impacting yields. The total oilseed crop for sunflower, rapeseed and soybeans is estimated at just over 1.6 million metric tons (MMT), compared to 2.0 MMT the previous year.

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.

South Africa has experienced an upsurge in oilseed plantings over the past 20 years with a near nine-fold expansion in soybean area. Post foresees that the positive trend in soybean plantings will continue in marketing year 2023/24 with area and oilseed production reaching historically high level of 1.8 million hectares and 3.6 million metric tons, respectively.

South Africa experienced an upward trend in oilseed production (soybeans and sunflower seeds) driven largely by rising oilseed prices, higher yielding cultivars, and a local demand-pull from investments in new oilseed processing plants.

FAS Sofia expects Bulgarian oilseed production to rebound in marketing year (MY) 2021/22.

Post predicts that South Africa’s positive trend in soybean plantings will continue in the 2021/22 MY in line increased local crushing capacity.

South Africa is continuing to experiencing a positive trend in the area planted with summer rainfall field crops during the past two decades.

Following the conclusion of Bulgaria’s MY 2020/21 sunflower harvest in late October, the Ministry of Agriculture (MinAg) reported lower than expected yields and production.

Following the conclusion of Bulgaria’s rapeseed harvest in late July, Ministry of Agriculture (MinAg) and industry reports indicate lower than expected yields and production.

Bulgarian rapeseed production in marketing year (MY) 2020/21 is forecast lower at 300,000 metric tons (MT), an all-time low.

Bulgarian oilseed prospects for MY 2020/21 remain unclear. The rapeseed crop may hit an all-time low, although Bulgarian sunflower production is expected to surpass last year.