According to the panellists, the expansion of the canola industry is creating opportunities for producers, processors, and new markets. However, future growth will depend on responsible crop rotation, reliable seed supplies, and stronger demand for locally processed products.
The panel comprised Corné Louw, Grain SA’s applied economics and member services lead; Franco le Roux, chairperson of Grain SA’s Canola Working Group; Zander Spammer, agriculture resource manager at Southern Oil; Piet Lombard, an agronomist at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture; and Andries Theron, a Swartland farmer who helped establish the region’s canola working group.
From rotation crop to income earner
According to statistics presented by Louw, South African canola plantings increased from 34 000ha in 2010 to approximately 192 300ha in 2026, with around 188 000ha of the total grown in the Western Cape.
Le Roux said the crop had undergone a remarkable transformation.
“In the past, I had to beg farmers just to plant one camp of canola. When you compare that with where we are now, it’s very encouraging,” he said.
Canola was initially introduced primarily as a rotational crop to help Western Cape grain farmers control weeds and diseases in wheat-based production systems. It has since gained importance as an economic crop in its own right, particularly when wheat margins are under pressure.
Theron said canola’s performance should not be considered in isolation from the wider grain production system.
“We had to look at the bigger grain picture in the Western Cape and create an entire farming system in which canola could fit,” he said.
Lombard attributed much of the crop’s growth to improved genetics, cultivar testing, and better farm management.
“The farmers in the Western Cape have done an excellent job of managing the climate around them and the challenges with weeds and diseases to get [canola] yields as high as they are,” he noted.
Lombard said that average on-farm yields had increased by about 80% over the past two decades, while yields achieved in cultivar trials had doubled.
“I’m convinced that a 2t average [per hectare] is achievable for the Western Cape,” he added.
Expansion brings production risks
Panel estimates indicated that national plantings could stabilise at between 210 000ha and 220 000ha. Expansion in the Swartland and irrigated northern production regions could eventually lift the area towards 250 000ha.
The Southern Cape already has a relatively high proportion of canola in its cropping system, while canola accounts for about 8% of the Swartland production area, leaving more room for responsible expansion there.
However, the panellists cautioned that additional hectares should not come at the expense of sound rotations.
Spammer referred to two farms where canola had been planted after canola. One producer was able to harvest a crop, while the other reportedly suffered a complete crop loss.
“Each producer carries that risk. Rotation remains central to responsible production,” he added.
Planting canola too frequently also increases the risk of diseases like blackleg, Sclerotinia, and crown canker.
The panellists also warned that the herbicide-resistant weeds ryegrass and wild radish are also a growing production challenges.
Farmers need a reliable supply of canola seed
Reliable seed supplies could present another constrain, because much of the seed is imported and must arrive within a narrow planting window.
“The key is having the right seed at the right time. It only takes one ship to arrive late, and then we don’t have seed,” Le Roux said.
Theron also cautioned against the growing practice of farmers retaining seed, saying seed companies had invested heavily in making leading international genetics available to South African producers.
“Our seed companies have bought into this industry and are bringing us some of the world’s best seed. We must be very careful about the growing tendency to retain seed,” Theron said.
Markets must keep pace
In a press statement from Grain SA released after the panel discussion, the organisation stated that Overberg Agri was undertaking the necessary applications and studies for the possible establishment of a canola crushing facility in the Swartland by 2027.
Grain SA said that processing closer to the production area could support a more efficient regional value chain, create additional processing capacity, and enable further value addition for producers.
The panel warned, however, that processing capacity alone would not ensure sustainable industry growth, adding that markets for canola oil and meal needed to expand alongside production.
Theron called for further research and market development to increase the use of locally produced canola meal in poultry and dairy rations.
“Why must we import oilcake when we have the product here? We need to develop the poultry and dairy markets and build those relationships,” he said.
New canola production regions offer potential
According to Lombard, approximately 150 000ha of irrigated wheat land elsewhere in South Africa could offer opportunities for further canola production.
“Wherever you grow wheat, you can grow canola. It comes down to management,” he advised.
Lombard identified mid- to late April in the north of South Africa as a critical planting period under irrigation, adding that yields of between 3,5t/ha and 4t/ha could be possible under good management.
“Heat stress remains a major risk, particularly when temperatures reach about 28°C during sensitive growth stages. Producers need to establish a strong plant population and dense canopy, supported by sufficient soil moisture, to help protect the crop,” he added.
