Cereal and oilseed rape harvest - first estimates: 2017

6. Oilseed Rape

The majority of Scottish oilseed rape is winter oilseed rape and is mainly exported for biofuels, with a very small amount processed in Scotland for edible oil.

Oilseed Rape Estimates ( charts 15 and 16)

Estimated oilseed rape production in 2017 increased by 38 per cent to 140,000 tonnes, almost recovering from the similarly sized fall last year that was due to bad weather. The increase was due to a 24 per cent increase in yield, and an 11 per cent increase in area. This year's yield is expected to be near the record high of 4.15 seen in 2015.

Over the last 20 years, oilseed rape production has remained relatively stable. This is in part due to a balance between generally decreasing areas grown and general increases in yields achieved. Fluctuations in yield have been more marked in recent years.

Chart 15 – Oilseed Rape: Area, Yield and Production

Chart 16 – Oilseed Rape Year-on-Year Change: Area, Yield and Production