Dalmark Grain is delighted to confirm that for the third year running, they have loaded the first of 2012’s Oilseed rape harvest for export. The MV AMANDA loaded 1,500 tonnes of East Anglian rape at Agrilink, Kings Lynn and is heading for Europort in Rotterdam.

“Our commitment to growers is to provide prompt collection of oilseed rape at harvest and by organising these early shipments means that we are able to achieve this,” says John Martin, trading director at Dalmark.

“The oilseed rape market is currently very competitive, with only a limited number of UK homes which means that export markets are more important than ever to shift the volumes of crops as they come in off farm. Dry weather continues to dominate world grain markets but the strong pound is currently holding back local rape prices.

Yields variable

 “Yields have been variable with lodging in many crops making slow work of harvest. Whilst the extended flowering has also lead to some issues with uniformity in the mature crop, we are not seeing this at significant levels yet. The robust hybrids seem to have fared the weather conditions better than other varieties, with Compass and PR46W21 doing very well across many areas.”

However, Mr Martin warns that quality may well be variable, especially oil levels given the lack of sunshine at critical periods. He adds that “in addition to export sales, we can also offer our growers very attractive storage contracts for those looking to market their grain later in the year avoiding harvest price pressure.”