Slightly more soy is being grown in the European Union this season. The cultivation is gaining popularity, especially in Italy. The predicted yields in the EU increase even faster than the acreage.
The total soy area this season amounts to 985.000 hectares, according to a provisional inventory by the European Commission. The area therefore increased by approximately 2% compared to last year, but is still below the record of 2019 with 962.000 hectares.
Italy, with 286.000 hectares, is by far the largest cultivation area in the EU. Here the area has also grown the most, namely by 11% compared to a year earlier. France and Romania follow at a considerable distance with 172.000 and 160.000 hectares respectively. It is striking that the area in these countries has actually shrunk compared to a year earlier. In France, 8% less soy has been sown and in Romania this is 3%.
Good yield
The yield expectation for soy is estimated at almost 2,9 million tons. That was 2020 million tons in 2,6, or a yield increase of almost 10% compared to a year earlier. A 20% larger harvest is even expected for Romania despite the smaller acreage. But a significant increase of 11% is also expected in France, despite the significant shrinkage of the area. The Dutch soy area is not mentioned in the European figures. This is due to its small size. In 2020 this amounted to 130 hectares.