Australian rapeseed crop boosts to decade high

Oilseeds experts have ditched a forecast that Australian rapeseed production dropped in 2009-10, thanks to the discovery of an extra 12% in plantings, the best harvest in a decade.

The country's rapeseed production hit 1.91 million tonnes, the Australian Oilseeds Federation said. The figure is 130,000 tonnes higher than estimates last month from both the federation and the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (Abare), and places the crop above the 1.88 million tonnes a year before, making it the best since 1999-2000.

The upgrade reflected a 150,000-hectare increase in plantings, taking them to 1.39 million hectares, with the federation acknowledging that Western Australian sowings in particular had been underestimated.

While that left sowings nonetheless lower than in 2008-09, yields have proved significantly stronger this season, reflecting better rains most districts bar New South Wales, where crops also suffered from October frosts.

The crop's improved production fortunes, combined with firm prices, may improve its popularity in 2010-11. "Good returns are expected to bolster rapeseed planting intentions in the coming season," the federation said.