Poland to seek rapeseed imports from Romania as domestic crop declines

Polish crushers are expected to increase rapeseed purchases from Romania as the country’s domestic harvest will not be sufficient to fully utilize existing crushing capacity. At the same time, Poland’s embargo on Ukrainian rapeseed imports is expected to remain in place, according to Arkadiusz Hasidło, Head of Procurement at Zakłady Tłuszczowe Bielmar.

He estimates Poland’s 2026 rapeseed crop at around 3.2 mln tons, down from 3.6 mln tons last year. The decline is attributed to reduced harvested area and lower yields. The harvested area is expected to fall to 1.0–1.05 mln ha from about 1.1 mln ha a year earlier, while average yields are forecast at around 3.0 tons/ha, compared with 3.27 tons/ha last season.

Meanwhile, Poland’s rapeseed crushing capacity already exceeds 4 mln tons per year and is expected to increase to 4.5–4.6 mln tons in the near future. This widening gap between domestic production and processing demand will force crushers to rely more heavily on imported supplies.

Romania is expected to become Poland’s main alternative supplier, with an estimated exportable surplus of about 1.5 mln tons of rapeseed. However, Polish buyers will have to compete with crushers from other European Union countries for these volumes.

EU rapeseed production in the 2026/27 season is forecast at around 20.5 mln tons, while import demand is expected to reach 5.5–5.75 mln tons. Imports could increase further as crushing capacity expands. In the current season, the EU has imported about 5.1 mln tons of rapeseed, mainly from Canada, Australia, and Ukraine, with total imports expected to reach 5.4–5.5 mln tons by the end of the marketing year.

Supply prospects among major exporters vary. Canada’s rapeseed crop is expected to reach around 22 mln tons, while Australia’s production is forecast at 6.2–6.8 mln tons, down from 7.7 mln tons last season. Ukraine, meanwhile, is gradually shifting its export model toward domestic processing and higher exports of rapeseed oil. Rapeseed harvesting in Poland is expected to begin around July 15–20, with the first deliveries to crushing plants arriving in the second half of July.