Canola is one of South Africa’s agricultural success stories. Since South African farmers planted the crop commercially on 17k hectares in 1998-99, the area has increased to an estimated 165k hectares in 2024-25.
There has been a switch from some traditional winter wheat and barley growing areas to canola because of price competitiveness. Canola is a winter crop. Hence, production is primarily in the Western Cape, a winter rainfall region in South Africa.
The catalyst behind the increase in canola plantings, among other things, is a rise in domestic demand or usage for oils and oilcake. South Africa is now a net canola exporter, having exported to countries such as Germany and Belgium in the recent past.
Considering the recent expansion in area plantings, and expected better yields, South Africa’s 2024-25 canola production is forecast at 294k tonnes. This is the largest harvest on record, up 25% year-on-year.
Indeed, in our recent visit to the Western Cape, the canola plantings were visibly in good condition in most regions of the province. These figures confirm our anticipation that the province will have a decent canola crop.
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