Ukraine expands winter rapeseed planting by 91,000 hectares for the 2027 harvest

As of 4 November 2026, Ukrainian farmers had sown winter rapeseed on 1.152 million hectares, which is 91.3 thousand hectares, or 8.6%, more than on the corresponding date of the previous year, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported. According to the agency's data, farmers have completed 104.2% of the rapeseed sowing forecast, exceeding the initially planned area by approximately 46 thousand hectares.
Thus, winter rapeseed became the only major winter crop whose sowing area not only exceeded the forecast but also demonstrated a significant increase compared to the previous year.
For comparison, the total area sown with winter cereals at the beginning of November decreased by 8.3% compared to the same date in 2025. Wheat and triticale were sown on 8.1% less, barley on 12.1% less.
Meanwhile, winter rapeseed shows the opposite trend, which may indicate increased interest from agribusinesses in growing oilseeds.
The largest areas of winter rapeseed are concentrated in the Odesa region, where 195 thousand hectares have been sown. This is about 16.9% of the total Ukrainian sowing area of the crop.
The second place is occupied by the Vinnytsia region with an indicator of 125 thousand hectares, the third by Mykolaiv, where rapeseed has been sown on 98 thousand hectares.
The top five also include the Khmelnytskyi region with 85.7 thousand hectares and Ternopil with 79.3 thousand hectares.
In total, these five regions account for 583 thousand hectares, or 50.6% of all winter rapeseed areas in Ukraine.
Over the past week, the areas under the crop have increased by 16.9 thousand hectares. As of 28 October, 1.135 million hectares had been sown, or 102.7% of the forecast.
Winter rapeseed is one of the main oilseeds in Ukraine and an important raw material for the production of vegetable oil, feed components, and biodiesel. A significant portion of the rapeseed grown in Ukraine is traditionally supplied for export, primarily to European countries, where it is used in the food industry and biodiesel production.
Increasing the sowing areas creates prerequisites for increasing rapeseed production in the 2027 season, however, the final volume of the harvest will depend on weather conditions, the state of the sowings after winter, and yield.
As reported, as of 4 November 2025, winter rapeseed had been sown on 1.060 million hectares in Ukraine.
Sources: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, statement from 4 November 2026; Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, data for 4 November 2025.