South Africa’s canola production is expected to continue expanding, with output in the 2026/27 season potentially reaching a new record. Farmers are increasing planted area in response to strong demand for vegetable oils and oilcake.
Planted area is projected at around 189.2 thousand hectares, up 8% year-on-year. If yields remain at the five-year average of 1.89 t/ha, total production could reach approximately 357.5 thousand tonnes, marking a 16% increase from the previous season.
South African farming group Karoo Pistachios is ramping up output to capitalize on surging prices and compete with the world’s biggest producers.
The nuts — used in ice cream and chocolate — climbed to the highest level in almost a decade this month as the conflict in Iran, the world’s second-largest grower, disrupts supplies in an already constrained market.
Over the past week, Ukraine’s soybean market recorded moderate price growth, particularly in the western border segment. The key driver was stronger demand from China, along with low container freight rates, according to White Brokers.
This made container exports more attractive, which in turn supported prices. An additional factor was the return of other Asian importers to the market.
Prices for GMO soybeans on a DAP port basis were around $465/t, while at the western border, they were $1–2/t higher.
Palm oil prices closed lower in the Asian trading session but remained elevated. Nomura analysts Raghavendra Diwekar and Amol Dongre wrote in a note that palm oil prices will likely be supported this week by a weaker ringgit and declining inventories in Malaysia. The average palm oil price this week could be around 4,700 ringgit, although a de-escalation of the Middle East conflict and lower oil prices could push them below 4,600 ringgit per tonne, the analysts believe.
Grain prices in Chicago fell, leveling off earlier gains, amid optimism about a possible end to the war in the Middle East. This is reported by Bloomberg.
Oil prices – one of the key drivers of the grain and oilseed market in recent times – have also fallen in recent days. Brent futures fell below $ 100 a barrel on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said that the United States could withdraw from the conflict with Iran within weeks, although hostilities continue.
Wheat fell as much as 2.4% – this is the biggest drop in more than a week. Corn and soybeans also fell.
According to Oil World, in February, Argentina increased its sunseed exports compared to January from 113 to 216 thousand tons, in particular, deliveries to Bulgaria – from 0 to 121 thousand tons, Romania – from 33 to 73 thousand tons, Portugal – from 20 to 21 thousand tons.
China aims to secure grain production at around 725 million tons in 2026, potentially reaching one of the highest levels in the country’s history. The target was outlined in a government report presented at the 4th session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC).
The United States plans to increase import tariffs for certain countries to 15% or higher, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Speaking to FOX Business, Greer indicated that while a 10% baseline tariff is currently in place, duties for some trading partners will soon rise to 15%, with the possibility of even higher rates for others.
According to monthly data from the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) released Tuesday, U.S. soybean crushing volume in January reached a record high for the first month of the year, and soybean oil stocks rose to their highest level since April 2023.
This week, the Commission adopted nine further acts under the CAP’s secondary legislation to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and regulatory burden, in line with its commitment to simplification and to strengthening the competitiveness of the farming sector and the wider agri-food value chain.