7/26/2004 Agra Europe - The EU-25 is expected to produce 17.74 milliontonnes of oilseeds in 2004, an increase of 17.7% over the 15.07mtharvested in last year, according to COCERAL. The old EU-15 is seenaccounting for 1.63mt of the increase, while the New Member States (NMS)are forecast to account for 1.04mt.

Rapeseed is the EU's major oilseed crop and production is forecastreaching 13.18mt this year, a 20% increase compared to 2003. Old EU-15output is seen at 10.49mt, an increase of 10.9%, while NMS output isexpected to rise by a massive 76.9% to 2.69mt.

Output in the bloc's largest producers, France and Germany, is seen risingby 8.6% and 19.2% to 3.61mt and 4.35mt respectively. In contrast, the EU'sthird largest producer, the UK, is expected to see a decline in rapeseedproduction, with the crop pegged at 1.64mt in 2004 compared to 1.77 in2003. Polish production, meanwhile, is seen jumping 62.3% to 1.22mt thisyear.

Sunflower seed up 7.4%

COCERAL forecasts that sunflower seed production in the EU-25 will total3.77mt in 2004.

This represents an increase of 7.4% over last year, despite a smallerplated area. Output in the old EU-15 countries is pegged at 2.84mtcompared to 2.45mt in 2003, while NMS production is expected to decline14.0% to 928 000t.

Sunflower seed production in France and Spain is expected to increase by14.0% and 27.3% to 1.58mt and 835 000t respectively. Hungary is the thirdlargest producer in the EU, although the 2004 crop is expected to be lower11.7% than in 2003 at 760 000t

EU soyabean output is expected to jump 37.2% over last year to 800 000t,with yields seen rising significantly. NMS production is seen more or lessstable at 83 000t, while the old EU-15 crop is seen rising to 717 000tfrom 499 000t last year. Italy, the blocs largest soyabean producer, isforecast to harvest 480 000t in 2004, an increase of 75.2% over 2003.