Rapeseed Acreage Reaches 100,000 Ha in Spain
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“Both sunflower and Rapeseed are at prices that are not normal due to the war, but the truth is that in the case of Rapeseed, there has been a progressive increase in production in the last eight years because it helps improve soil conditions,” points out David Erice, an arable and industrial crop technician from the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA), Spain.
For Erice, the increase in Rapeseed production in Spain is mainly because it allows for the expansion of crop rotation, which improves the quality of the land at a price that has been increasing progressively, mainly as a result of poor harvests in other countries, especially in France, which has caused their production to be punctured. “The key is in the climate of Spain; we can produce more Rapeseed than anyone else. In France, for example, they have a lot of frosts,” says Ventura González, a farmer from Madrigal, who plants mainly cereal but this year has exceeded 40 hectares devoted to Rapeseed to 55.
According to data from the UPA, from 2020 to 2022, it has gone from 71,473 hectares planted to 99,387, which represents a growth of 28%. The largest producer is Castilla y León, with 47,870 hectares, followed by Catalonia with 17,239 ha, and Castilla La Mancha (12,289 ha). The Rapeseeds industry increased steadily and peaked in 2016, reaching 225 thousand metric tons. In 2018, the production of Rapeseed reached 175 thousand metric tons, which represented the second highest figure in 2012-2019, followed by 2015 with 149.4 thousand metric tons.
Almost 60% of the Spanish Rapeseed is intended for animal feed in the form of flour, an essential co-product of the extraction process. The other product obtained after extraction is Rapeseed Oil (received approximately 40%), which in Central Europe is abundantly intended for human consumption. In Spain, there is little tradition to destining for human consumption. However, Rapeseed Oil is the majority for cooking in other countries, such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Most Rapeseed Oil that is obtained in Olmedo (Valladolid) is sold for the production of biodiesel, according to Javier Narvaez (ACOR), after pointing out that farmers have been ACOR maximum crop drivers.
From the buds of each flower come some pods from which the Rapeseed grains are born, a kind of three-millimeter shot that right now is pure gold: the ton of Rapeseed grain is paid for between 800 and 850 euros. Last year, it was paid around 500 euros. It is the historical maximum due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which has paralyzed cereal exports in the entire area, considered the largest granary in Europe.
Spain Rapeseed Oil Trade
According to AgFlow data, Spain imported 0.3 million tons of Rapeseed from Australia in 2022, followed by Ukraine (76,000 tons), Bulgaria (25,000 tons), and France (3,300 tons). In terms of Rapeseed Oil, Spain imported 7,390 tons from France last year.
In 2021, Spain imported Rapeseed Oil worth $152 million, becoming the world’s 14th largest importer of Rapeseed Oil. In the same year, Rapeseed Oil was Spain’s 404th most imported product. Spain imports Rapeseed Oil primarily from: France ($93M), Belgium ($39.6M), Germany ($12.1M), the Netherlands ($2.44M), and Italy ($2.37M).
In 2021, Spain exported Rapeseed Oil worth $38.5 million, making it the world’s 23rd most significant exporter of Rapeseed Oil. The same year, Rapeseed Oil was Spain’s 700th most exported product. The leading destination of Rapeseed Oil exports from Spain is Portugal ($13.6M), the United States ($7.44M), Belgium ($4.52M), Israel ($2.09M), and France ($1.82M).
Other sources: ECOMERCIO AGRARIO
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