March 1, 2004

China Rapeseed Output To Hit 12 Million Tonnes

China's rapeseed output for the 2003/04 season is set to hit 12 million tonnes as acreage is expanded 2.6 percent to eight million hectares.

The increase in acreage is smaller than market forecasts of 5 to 10 percent, but favourable weather is likely to keep output on the rise this year, said an analyst from the National Grain and Oils Information Centre in Beijing.

"The weather has been quite conducive since the crop was sowed and there shouldn't be huge problems for the output to reach 12 million tonnes," he said.

China, a major oilseed user, harvested 11.5 million tonnes of rapeseed the previous year. Farmers plant the crop during winter and harvest it in the summer.