How much rapeseed has been sown in Poland in recent years?
In 2001, just over 440 000 ha were sown in Poland. At that time rapeseed was grown by just over 40 000 farms across the country.
In the next two seasons, the acreage did not increase, and was even lower. It was only in 2004, coinciding with Poland's accession to EU structures, that more rapeseed was sown. In 2004, the acreage was around 550 000 ha.
Then and now
This is still far less than how much of this crop is sown in Poland today. 600 000 ha was exceeded only in 2006. And by the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the acreage in Poland was increasing - e.g. in 2009, rapeseed in the country amounted to some 800 000 ha.
The years 2009 - 2010 began a kind of stabilization of the acreage. Since then, it was lower than 800 000 ha only once (in 2012). At the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, i.e. in 2021, slightly more than 970 000 ha of rapeseed will have been sown in Poland.
In 2022 - 2023, the area sown to this crop already exceeded 1 million ha - the first seasons with an acreage higher than 1 million ha. In 2023, the acreage even approached 1.1 million ha. The following season already saw a decrease of a sizeable 100 000 ha.
In 20 years, rapeseed acreage has increased by 150% (compared to the year with the highest sown area). Although the record year for rapeseed acreage in the country of 2023 was not broken, it can be expected that rapeseed will still be sown on an acreage close to 1 million ha in the following years.
The correlation of cost to crop valuation is not attractive at the moment, but it is difficult to find a crop that can easily replace rapeseed directly.
Other crops
The acreage of soya is also increasing; this crop continues to gain in popularity. More peas or lupins were also sown last season. But these crops are not replacing rapeseed. And it is precisely the lack of direct alternatives that may contribute to rapeseed maintaining its level in terms of its share in the sowing structure.
Source: Farmer.pl