- Are rapeseed seeds cheaper than last year?
- What is the cost of sowing population and hybrid varieties?
What is the cost of rapeseed?
The rapeseed sales campaign started in May. We mentioned it on our website. At the time, we pointed out that seed orders seemed to move faster each year. Currently, offers are reaching our farms from various companies. And what does it look like in terms of pricing?
It's not cheaper than last year. Seed prices remain at a similar level year to year. Hybrid varieties are most often priced from PLN 1,200 and up per seed unit. However, this applies to older proposals. Leading proposals, flagship varieties of given breeds, are priced at over PLN 1,600 – 1,700 per unit.
Linear varieties are, of course, cheaper, but for population varieties we will have to pay about PLN 900 – 1,000 per seed unit. There are also linear varieties on the market, valued at approximately PLN 1,300 – 1,400.
Virtually all varieties are prepared as "3-hectare packages". In the case of population varieties, the sowing unit is 2 million seeds, and in the case of hybrid varieties, 1.5 million seeds. The offers of some distribution companies also include smaller units, dedicated to 1.5 ha (1 million seeds in the case of population and 0.75 million in hybrid varieties, respectively).
The cost per hectare is approximately PLN 400 – 600 in the case of sowing hybrid varieties. However, we know that in the case of hybrids, even more than 4 hectares can be sown from a "3-hectare" parcel. Of course, then the unit expenditure per hectare is reduced, but such wide possibilities – in terms of stocking density – are available only in the case of hybrid varieties. In the case of population sowing, remember that these are less tolerant of certain deviations from the recommendations regarding sowing density. At the same time, any reduction in stocking density depends on other factors, including the sowing date.
Sowing the population variety is slightly cheaper and costs PLN 280-400/ha. The most expensive populations are similar in price to hybrid varieties. What is important, however, is that the leading linear varieties are often able to equal the yield potential of hybrid offerings.
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Rapeseed is cheap, and the cost of purchasing seeds is not decreasing
If we compared the prices of rapeseed seeds to purchase prices, the correlation remains unfavorable for the farmer and there is absolutely nothing to discuss. The fact that the seeds come from plantations mown last year is not an excuse, because rapeseed prices dropped significantly in the previous season compared to 2022.
However, the pricing of seeds is influenced by other factors, essentially independent of the activities of breeders or distributors. This is, of course, among other things: about high energy prices, higher employee or logistic costs. There is no point in looking for justification for high seed prices, because we know perfectly well that the costs on our farms have also increased, and we have no way of compensating for the increase in production expenditure by dictating prices. However, the problem here is the low valuation of our agricultural produce.
You can buy seeds from sale offers slightly cheaper. However, these are already completed in some companies. However, it is worth asking, because prices are sometimes even several percent lower. Always check promotional campaigns. More and more companies direct their discount offers not only to households purchasing larger quantities. It sometimes happens that we can obtain certain benefits by purchasing 2 seed units. It is always a way to amortize the cost of purchasing seeds.
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