Moldova resumes rapeseed processing after a 15-year hiatus

In its new September 2025 report, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) raised its global rapeseed production forecast for 2025/26 by 1.4 million tonnes to 91.0 million tonnes compared to the previous month, thanks to higher-than-expected harvests in countries such as Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Moldova.

The main growth came from Canada (+0.8 million tonnes), the EU (+2.8 million tonnes) and Russia (+0.9 million tonnes).

At the same time, Moldova was included in the list of the largest oilseed producers, which gives hope for positive results of the agricultural campaign and a more optimistic picture of the availability of raw materials for domestic processing, experts note. The area under rapeseed in the country this season reached a record 120 thousand hectares, compared to an average of 40-45 thousand hectares over the past five years.

An important factor for the local market was the start of domestic processing of rapeseed, for the first time after a 15-year break, Agroexpert.md reports. In July-August, the Republic of Moldova exported about 6.4 thousand tons of rapeseed oil.

Tags: rapeseed, rapeseed oil, Moldova