Browse Data and Analysis

Marketing Year (MY) 2025/26 is forecast to see record low plantings of rapeseed oilseeds (rapeseed) in the United Kingdom (UK), down below 250 thousand hectares, with production falling below 750 thousand metric tons.

Post forecasts Ukrainian farmers will maintain similar areas under oilseed production for marketing year (MY) 2025/26 as compared to the previous MY; however, Post forecasts the split among individual oilseeds will differ.

Facing dry growing conditions and slumping cotton prices, Turkish farmers are expected to switch from cotton to produce more sunflowerseeds and other row crops in marketing year (MY) 2025/26.

In marketing year (MY) 2024/25, Bulgaria harvested its smallest oilseed crop in 15 years due to hot and dry summer weather negatively impacting yields.

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.

After two consecutive years of short olive oil production, MY 2024/25 olive oil output in the EU is expected to revert to average levels on good flowering conditions and a mild summer. Fall precipitation will be critical to final production volumes.

Sunflowerseed production in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast to drop to its lowest level in almost a decade due to extremely dry weather conditions in the northeast part of the country, where more than half of the production is concentrated.

FAS/Sofia estimates a reduction in Bulgarian oilseeds crops in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 due to extremely hot and dry weather conditions in July and August. FAS/Sofia estimates the rapeseed crop at 190,000 metric tons (MT), down nine percent from last year and 36 percent from two years ago.

FAS/Sofia expects a lower Bulgarian rapeseed crop in marketing year (MY) 2024/25, falling by four percent from last year to about 200,000 metric tons (MT), due to a combination of reduced harvested area and unfavorable weather.

MY 2023/24 saw rather disappointing yields for the UK rapeseed oilseed crop overall. In MY 2024/25 rapeseed production is forecast even lower at 900 thousand metric tons (MT) due to a combination of poor growing conditions, a sharp fall in the price of rapeseed, pest pressure and the increased attractiveness of agri-environment options.

For marketing year (MY) 2024/25, Ukrainian farmers are forecast to increase area under all the major oilseeds except for sunflowers. However, regarding production volumes, this increase might be somewhat dampened by lower yields compared to the high levels of MY2023/24.

FAS/Sofia’s marketing year (MY) 2023/24 sunflower production estimate is lowered to 1.7 million metric tons (MMT) based on the final harvest data. The sunflower crop suffered from severe and prolonged summer drought and high heat which reduced yields considerably.