China became the main importer of Ukrainian rapeseed meal for the first time

Exports to China reached a record 155 thousand tons against the backdrop of weak EU demand and increased processing in Ukraine.

In July-December 2025/26 MY, China topped the list of buyers of Ukrainian rapeseed meal for the first time. This is reported by APK-Inform.

In the first half of the season, supplies of rapeseed meal from Ukraine increased by 70% – to about 340 thousand tons. This is the second largest result in the entire period of observations for the first half of the marketing year (after 374 thousand tons in 2023/24 MY).

The expansion of exports ensured an increase in domestic rapeseed processing to about 800 thousand tons, which was facilitated by a 10% export duty on seeds and improved processing margins.

Demand from the EU, which is usually the main market, declined in the 2025/26 season. Imports of Ukrainian meal fell to ~71 thousand tons compared to 171 thousand tons a year earlier. At the same time, the EU was more active in buying the cheaper Canadian product – supplies from Canada to the EU increased to 436 thousand tons as of January 18, while last year they were almost non-existent.

Against this background, Ukrainian producers have reoriented themselves to other directions, primarily to China, which is experiencing a shortage of rapeseed meal after limiting purchases of Canadian. As a result, China has become the largest importer of Ukrainian meal for the first time.

At the same time, the Chinese market is dominated by products from India, the Russian Federation and the UAE, and a possible easing of tariffs between China and Canada could quickly cool interest in Ukrainian supplies.

Ukraine’s domestic market remains weak. Low consumption forces traders to sometimes reduce prices to avoid stockpiling. This makes diversification of export markets a key prerequisite for maintaining high sales rates in the second half of the season.

Also, as USM wrote, Ukrzaliznytsia transported a record amount of meal in 2025.