EU-27 oilseed production in 2023 and forecasts for 2024

A slight decrease in the total area devoted to oilseed production in the EU-27 is expected in 2024 along with significant variations in the productions of the main crops compared to 2023.

Rapeseed

The rapeseed planted area is expected to decrease by 5.6%, going from 6,228 thousand hectares in 2023 to 5,879.4 thousand hectares in 2024. This reduction in planted area, together with a 2.4% decrease in yield, results in a 7.8% forecast decrease in production to reach 18,175.5 thousand tons.

Sunflower

In contrast to rapeseed, the sunflower planted area is projected to increase by 1.7% to reach 4,764.4 thousand hectares in 2024. In addition, a yield increase of 7.9% is expected, resulting in a significant production increase of 9.7% to reach 10,734.5 thousand tons.

Soybeans

Soybeans also show an upward trend, with an expected 7.9% increase in planted area to 1,055.6 thousand hectares in 2024. With a yield increase of 2.4%, total soybean production is expected to reach 3,073.9 thousand tons, representing a 10.5% increase compared to 2023.

Conclusion

Overall, total oilseed production in the EU-27 is forecast to decrease slightly by 1.0%, from 32,293 thousand tons in 2023 to 31,983.9 thousand tons in 2024. This reduction is mainly due to the decrease in rapeseed production, which is not fully offset by the increase in sunflower and soybean production.