Record year of oilseed production

January 9, 2022 |

In Germany, UFOP reports that according to current USDA estimates, global production of oilseeds in the crop year 2021/22 is set to hit a peak of around 627.6 million tons, which would be up around 4 percent year-on-year. After recent expectations of an output of 628 million tons, the current forecast is slightly more cautious.

Global processing of oilseeds is also set to rise to a record high of 527.2 million tonnes, according to the most recent USDA outlook. This would be up around 18.3 million tonnes on the crop year 2020/21. Global ending stocks will presumably amount to 114.1 million tonnes, which would exceed the previous year’s level by 400,000 tonnes. However, ending stocks are seen to be clearly below the 133.9 million tonne record high recorded in the 2018/19 season. Also, world trade in oilseeds is expected to increase 6 million tonnes to 196 million tonnes.

At 382 million tonnes, the current crop year’s soybean harvest is expected to be larger than ever. Global output of sunflower seed is also set to increase on the year, 14 per cent to 57 million tonnes. By contrast, world rapeseed production is seen to decline 4.8 million tonnes to 68.4 million tonnes year-on-year. According to Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), this outlook is based on harvest declines in major rapeseed producing countries, especially Canada. It should be noted that the USDA oilseed estimate also includes peanuts (approximately 51 million tonnes) and cottonseed (approximately 44 million tonnes), among other oilseeds.

The rise in soybean output is due to an expansion in area in the wake of adjustments in crop rotation in North and South America and in South America also to changes in land use (clearing primeval forest). This is why the EU Commission and the German government are working towards deforestation-free procurement of feedstuff. The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP) has pointed out that with respect to biofuels from cultivated biomass, a compulsory certificate of crop area origin dated 2008 has already been a requirement for recognizing the sustainability certificate in the commodity chain and consequently for accessing the EU market ever since the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) was implemented. This certification requirement can basically be applied irrespective of use. The administrative prerequisites, including the database, are in place, at least in Germany. The certification requirements are being tightened under the EU Commission’s proposal to amend the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), which proposal provides, among other things, for the creation of an EU database along the lines of the “Nabisy” database of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The BLE has just published the Evaluation and Progress Report 2020, which transparently shows how data were acquired and analysed. This is not least a significant contribution to acceptance of biofuels from cultivated biomass among politicians and the public.

Category: Fuels

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