The European Union summer 2013 rapeseed crop could rise to 20.50 million tonnes from 19.07 million tonnes in 2012 as farmers are believed to have sharply expanded rapeseed sowings, Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World said on Tuesday. "Production prospects are currently favourable in the European Union and the 2013 rapeseed crop should recover sizeably, unless large-scale damage occurs from frost during the winter months or from dryness in April/May 2013," Oil World said.

EU farmers have expanded rapeseed plantings for the summer 2013 crop to 6.51 million hectares from 6.15 million hectares harvested in summer 2012, despite problems with sowings in Britain and France, it estimates. Germany's 2013 crop will rise to 5.50 million tonnes from 4.82 million tonnes in 2012, its forecast, meaning Germany would again be the EU's biggest producer.

The crop in France, the largest EU producer in 2012, will fall to 5.20 million tonnes in 2013 from 5.46 million tonnes in 2012, it said. Britain's crop will drop to 2.50 million tonnes from 2.56 million tonnes in 2012. Rapeseed plantings in central and east Europe were especially expanded, Oil World said.

Poland's 2013 crop is likely to rise to 2.15 million tonnes from 1.81 million tonnes and the Czech Republic's harvest will rise to 1.23 million tonnes from 1.11 million tonnes. EU rapeseed prices touched all-time highs in July and again in September because of fears about drought damage to crops in the United States and Black Sea region, encouraging farmers to plant more of the oilseed.

Copyright Reuters, 2012