Features of Cultivation of Rapeseed in the EU

Rape is one of the most demanded crops in the world market.

The thing is that not only valuable and nutritious oil is obtained from this plant, but also used in industry, as a raw material for the production of environmentally friendly fuel. Taking into account the growing popularity of eco-consumption, it is rape that is one of the most demanded plants in the world.

The cultivation of this culture does not require special conditions – the plant has a lot of moisture, long daylight and fertile soil, but it is not too demanding for the climate and can grow even in not too warm temperatures. Due to this, in Europe, they are often engaged in the cultivation of this crop on their own sown areas.

Europe’s place in the global rapeseed market

Some scientists believe that the birthplace of rapeseed is England and Holland.

From there this culture quickly spread to Germany, Poland and Western Ukraine. At the moment, it is in Germany that the main crops of this crop are concentrated – more than 1.2 million hectares. The main purpose of this plant is to obtain biofuel. In addition, some of the processing of the crop is used for animal feed, oil and honey production. Nevertheless, despite the sufficient amount of harvest, the EU countries willingly import this crop, including from Ukraine.

In 2020, Europe recorded a catastrophic decline in the yield of this crop – all due to drought. According to analysts at CRM AgriCommodities, for the first time in a long time, there will be a shortage of this crop in the EU, although in other countries of the world the yield of rapeseed will only increase. In the first half of the year alone, quotations of this culture increased by 7.7%. It is predicted that against this background, Europe will import rapeseed from other countries, but the harvest from Canada and Australia (the main suppliers of rapeseed) will not be enough.

It is known that the consumption of rapeseed in the EU has long exceeded supply, so it makes sense to grow this crop even for export. The supply of rapeseed has its own characteristics on the internal EU markets – producers must comply with strict requirements for product quality, and during the cultivation process do not use pesticides banned in the EU. This must be reflected in the product documents, which must be reviewed prior to the start of sales. You can find them on the website of the Customs Union, as well as on the websites of the relevant departments of the countries where the products are exported.

Growing features

In order to export products, farmers must strictly adhere to the recently introduced requirements for the cultivation of this crop. In particular, the EU has banned the processing of crops with neonicotinoids, which are often used in the fight against pests of this crop. By the way, not least of all, it was this restriction that contributed to the decrease in yield – European farmers simply did not find a suitable means for processing the plant, and harmful insects during this period gladly attacked the crop. Despite this, some farmers in the EU continue to cultivate this crop, although more and more producers refuse to sow the plant, preferring to grow legumes in its place.

To grow a quality crop, you must also pay attention to the plant variety. There are special varieties that contain a small amount of erucic acid (it is considered dangerous for humans), and the oil obtained from such plants is in no way inferior in quality to olive oil.