Global oilseed production in 2025/26 set to reach record level

Global oilseed production is expected to reach a record level in 2025/26. Image source: USDA

Worldwide production of oilseeds is expected to reach a record level in 2025/26, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data reported by Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Plants and Protein (UFOP).

The rise in output was mainly due to bumper rapeseed harvests and higher production of palm kernel and sunflowerseed, which more than offset an anticipated decline in soyabean supply, the 21 November report said.

According to the USDA’s projections – published following the provisional end to the US government shutdown – oilseed output for the 2025/26 crop year is expected to reach a record of around 688M tonnes, a year-on-year increase of around 0.6%.

The estimate also included peanuts (approximately 51.3M tonnes), cottonseed (approximately 41.5M tonnes), copra (5.9M tonnes) and other oil crops, UFOP said.

Global oilseed processing was also forecast to reach a new record of 578.4M tonnes, a rise of 12.3M tonnes from the previous crop year.

Worldwide ending stocks were expected to total 142.3M tonnes, exceeding the previous year’s level by 0.6M tonnes.

Global trade in oilseeds was projected to remain virtually unchanged at 214.5M tonnes.

“The ongoing US-China trade dispute has particularly impacted trade in US soyabeans in recent weeks. It remains to be seen whether the USDA’s expectation of a recovery in US exports to China will be reflected in the current financial year’s trade balance,” UFOP said.

The rapeseed harvest was expected to total approximately 92.3M tonnes in the current crop year, marking an all-time high and a year-on-year increase of more than 7%.

According to information by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, the rapeseed forecast is primarily based on production increases in the European Union (EU), Canada and Russia.

Global production of palm kernel was also expected to increase by almost 4%, reaching 21.1M tonnes.

A similar increase was projected for sunflowerseed production, which was expected to total 54.3M tonnes.

Global soyabean output was expected to decrease by 1.3%, falling to 421.8M tonnes, mainly due to production declines in the USA, Argentina, India and Ukraine.

Tags: soyabean, sunflowerseed, palm kernel, exports, harvest, trade, oilseeds, ending stocks, Production, rapeseed, forecast