November 16, 2011

 

Australia reaps record rapeseed output

 

 

Australian farmers are gathering an expected record rapeseed harvest of about 2.62 million tonnes, 20% higher over last season's bumper yield, the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) said Tuesday (Nov 15).

 

Benign weather ahead of the harvest, which is now well advanced across most areas of Australia where the oilseed, also known as rapeseed, is grown, had boosted yields, AOF said.

 

The estimated harvest follows a 15% jump in acres planted because of good soil moisture when crops were sown during the April to June period.

 

In 2010/11 Australia reaped around 2.16 million tonnes of rapeseed, a large proportion of which was exported to Asian customers, among the largest being South Korea.

 

Australia is ranked as the world's second largest rapeseed exporter after Canada. Its exports of the oilseed have quadrupled over the past decade because of attractive returns and rapeseed's role as rotational crop to wheat.

 

"The beneficial season-end weather has also bolstered oil content in many areas, with reports of 44% oil being common," AOF said in its crop report.

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