Area increases slightly The oilseed area of the EU-27 for the 2020 harvest is estimated by the EU Commission at 10.6 million hectares. That would be an increase of 1.4% over the previous year, but around 4.3% less than the five-year average.
The increase in area is due to an increase in soybean and rapeseed area. The Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (Ufop) continues to report: According to the EU Commission, rapeseed has the largest share of the oilseed area, as in previous years. It is said to account for 5.3 million hectares, about 2.7% more than in the previous year. The five-year average is still missed by around 10%.
Unfavorable weather conditions made it difficult to sow rapeseed in autumn 2019, particularly in France, where some areas had to be broken up.
Soybean cultivation in the EU-27 is expected to increase by around 0.1 to 1 million ha, while the sunflower area is expected to shrink by 0.1 to 4.2 million ha. The EU Commission estimates rising yields in the EU-27. In combination with the expected increase in acreage, this could lead to an oilseed harvest of 29.5 million t. In the previous year it was 1.5 million t less. With 2.95 milliont, around 11% more soybeans are likely to be threshed, and around 16%, about 8% more rapeseed. At 10 million tons, the sunflower harvest could be as large as in the previous year. 
Source
Hansa Terminhandel GmbH
