EU rapeseed sown area to fall slightly

The area sown with rapeseed for the 2014 harvest in the European Union will fall 1 percent from this year to 6.6 million hectares, analyst Strategie Grains said. Sunseed crops would also lose area, with Strategie Grains expecting a 3 percent decrease to 4.4 million hectares. The total oilseed area in the 28-country EU would fall 2 percent to 11.9 million hectares, the French-based analyst said.
"We expect a slight decrease in oilseeds' area due to lower gross margins compared with last year, and to better soft wheat gross margins than rapeseed's," it said in a monthly oilseed report. Strategie Grains said its estimates were liable to be revised significantly depending on winter crop losses and weather and price conditions for spring sowing.