Russia. Acreage of niche oilseeds is shrinking

According to forecasts of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR), linseed acreage in 2019 will remain at roughly last year’s level of some 750 Th ha. Territorial shifts are possible in its plantings, specifically an expansion in the Siberian and Ural federal districts and a decrease in the Southern and Volga regions, reports UkrAgroConsult.

A drop is expected in mustard acreage. In 2018, it set a record of 334 Th ha (more than twice as high as in 2017), with mustard yield down at 0.45-0.5 MT/ha against its traditional level of 0.55-0.6 MT/ha.

False flax and safflower plantings have been steadily decreasing over the last several seasons. Last year, false flax acreage shrank to 79 Th ha compared to its all-time high of 268 Th ha in 2014, while that of safflower fell to 66 Th ha (it occupied 445 Th ha in 2016). In addition, their yields were low in 2018.

The traditional oil crops – sunflower seed, rapeseed and soybeans – look more attractive from the economic viewpoint.