HAMBURG - The European Union's rapeseed harvest will fall this summer with sharp drops expected in major producers Poland and Britain, experts said on Wednesday.
The EU 2016 crop of rapeseed, used for edible oil and biodiesel production, is likely to fall to between 21.2-21.5 million metric tons from 22.3 million metric tons last year, traders say.
"It looks like the EU will have a large import demand in the coming season," one German trader said.
France's farm ministry estimates the 2016 winter rapeseed crop at 5.1 million metric tons, down 3.7 percent from 2015 and 2.0 percent below the 2011-2015 average.
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Recent rain on mature French rapeseed was broadly beneficial, allowing crops to recover from strong pest attacks, said Fabien Lagarde from French oilseed institute Terres Inovia.
Harvesting has started in smaller production areas in south east France and initial feedback was very positive, Lagarde said. He expects a harvest start in north France in about 10 days.
Germany's winter rapeseed harvest will rise 0.1 percent to 5.05 million metric tons, farm cooperatives forecast. Sowed area was up 3.6 percent on the year but national yields are likely to fall 2.7 percent on the year, it said.
"Overall rapeseed came through the mild winter and recent rain without major damage but it looks like yields will be down on the year," one German grains analyst said. "The recent rain was welcome in some areas which had seen a dry spring."
Britain is expected to harvest about 2.1 million metric tons, down 17 percent from 2015, traders said, following a cut in planted area and insect damage due to curbs on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides.
"We see the impact of the flea beetles and the area that has been lost but away from the east of England it is looking not too bad," said analyst Jack Watts of Britain's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
Poland's harvest is forecast to plummet 24 percent on the year to about 2.4 million metric tons after crops suffered from deep winter frosts and springtime dryness, said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska.
Polish yields are expected to fall 9 percent following the poor weather this season, Sabaranski said. The recent rain was welcome for parched Polish rapeseed but did not solve the dryness problem.
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"In some regions it rained a lot, whereas in other regions soil moisture is still insufficient," he said.
