Many agricultural crops and value chains have shown dramatic progress in recent years. They should serve as an inspiration for further growth of this sector.
I often write about South Africa’s success with soybeans, production of which increased from 67,700t in the 1993-1994 season to an expected record harvest of 2.8Mt in 2025/2026. This in turn has been driven by increased demand for high-protein foods, particularly poultry products.
But this is not the only achievement in South Africa’s vegetable oils cluster.
Canola is one of the country’s agricultural successes. Since farmers began commercial planting of the crop on 17,000ha in 1998/1999, the area has increased to an estimated 174,515ha in 2025/2026. For the 2026/2027 season, the farmers plan to increase the area to 189,175ha.
As has been the case with soybeans, the main catalyst behind the increase in canola planting is a rise in domestic demand or usage for oils and oilcake. There has also been a switch in some areas from wheat to canola, due to canola’s higher profitability in recent times. South Africa is now a net canola exporter, having shipped to countries such as Germany and Belgium in recent years.
Canola is a winter crop. Hence, production is primarily in the Western Cape, a winter rainfall region.
Farmers intend to plant 189,175ha, up 8% from the previous season. If we assume relatively favourable weather conditions and a decent yield and apply a five-year average yield of 1,89t/ha, South Africa could harvest 357,541t, up 16% from the previous season. This could be a fresh high.
Admittedly, it is still too early to tell with certainty where the canola harvest will be, and whether farmers will successfully plant the areas they intend to till. The key determinant, among other factors, will be weather conditions.
Aside from weather forecasts, I think it’s fair to say that canola production is one of the major achievements of South African agriculture, alongside the soybean industry and production of many types of fruit.
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