Where are rapeseed seeds produced? An introduction to the main producing regions
Where are rapeseed seeds produced? Where is rapeseed grown in abundance?
Divided by rapeseed sowing season, rapeseed in China can be classified into autumn-winter sown rapeseed (harvested in summer) and spring sown rapeseed (harvested in autumn). Autumn-winter sown rapeseed is generally planted each year in October-November, and harvested the following May-June; spring sown rapeseed is generally planted each year in April-May, and harvested in September-October of the same year. Winter rapeseed accounts for more than 90% of both area and output, and is mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Basin, while spring rapeseed is concentrated in the Northeast and Northwest regions, with the Hailar area of Inner Mongolia being the most concentrated.
China's spring sown rapeseed is mainly distributed in the northwestern provinces of Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu and others, with planting area and output accounting for 7-8% of the national total. China's autumn-winter sown rapeseed accounts for 92-93% of the national area and output, and is mainly concentrated in two regions: first, the main rapeseed producing area of the Yangtze River Basin, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Chongqing and other provinces, where the perennial planting area and output account for 50-60% of the national total. Among these, Hubei Province is China's largest rapeseed producing province, ranking first nationwide for 15 consecutive years. Second, the southwestern main rapeseed producing area, where the perennial planting area and output account for 20-30% of the national total, including Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. Among these, in recent years Sichuan has become China's second largest rapeseed producing province. In addition, the southern part of Henan is also a major autumn-winter rapeseed planting area.
In recent years, the pattern of rapeseed production in China has undergone considerable change, specifically as follows: the area and total output of China's largest main rapeseed producing province, Hubei, have shown a slight fluctuating trend, while its share of the national total rapeseed output has remained stable; the area and output of the traditional main rapeseed producing provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu have shown a clear downward trend, with their share of national rapeseed output steadily declining, while the rapeseed area and output of provinces such as Hunan and Sichuan have continued to increase, with their share of national rapeseed output rising markedly.
According to resource conditions, production levels and farming systems, the Ministry of Agriculture designated the advantageous rapeseed area of the Yangtze River Basin into three zones, upper, middle and lower reaches, and within them selected priority development areas or counties and cities. The main conditions are: a high degree of concentration of rapeseed planting, with the proportion of sown area to winter crops divided into more than 30% for the upper reach zone, more than 40% for the middle reach zone, and more than 35% for the lower reach zone; and the presence of leading processing enterprises with strong driving capacity within and around the zone.
(1) Upper reaches of the Yangtze River advantageous zone: This zone includes Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guizhou. The climate is mild and humid, with high relative humidity, many cloudy, foggy and rainy days, and no severe cold in winter, which is favorable for the growth of autumn-sown rapeseed. In addition, with superior temperature, light, water and heat conditions, the rapeseed growth level is relatively high, and the farming system is mainly a two-crop system. In 2005/2006 this zone planted 1678 thousand hectares of rapeseed, with rapeseed output of 3.07 million tons, and area and output respectively accounting for 27% and 27% of the Yangtze River Basin.
Sichuan Province has traditionally had a custom of consuming rapeseed oil, and therefore rapeseed planting area is very extensive; throughout the province, except for the three ethnic minority autonomous prefectures of Garze, Aba and Liangshan, as well as Panzhihua City, all prefectures and cities grow rapeseed, mainly distributed in Deyang, Mianyang, Meishan, Suining, Neijiang and other prefectures and cities.
(2) Middle reaches of the Yangtze River advantageous zone: This zone includes Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and the Xinyang area of Henan. It has a subtropical monsoon climate, with sufficient sunshine, abundant heat and plentiful rainfall, suitable for rapeseed growth. Main farming systems: the north is mainly a two-crop system, while the south is mainly a three-crop system. In 2005/2006 this zone planted 3702 thousand hectares of rapeseed, with rapeseed output of 6.39 million tons, and area and output respectively accounting for 59% and 56% of the Yangtze River Basin, making it the producing area with the largest rapeseed area and the most concentrated distribution in the Yangtze River Basin.
Hubei ranks first nationwide in both rapeseed planting area and output, with planting areas in the Jianghan Plain and eastern Hubei, mainly in the Jingzhou, Jingmen, Xiangfan, Yichang, Xiaogan, Huanggang and Huangshi areas. Anhui's rapeseed planting is mainly concentrated in Lu'an, Hefei, Chuzhou, Chaohu, Wuhu, Anqing, Xuancheng and other places, basically south of the Huai River and along the Yangtze River. Hunan's rapeseed planting area is concentrated in the Dongting Lake Plain, mainly in the Changde, Yiyang and Yueyang areas.
(3) Lower reaches of the Yangtze River area: This area includes Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. It has a subtropical climate, with plentiful rainfall and abundant sunshine, and its light, temperature and water resources are very suitable for rapeseed growth. Its main unfavorable factor is the relatively high groundwater level, which easily causes waterlogging damage. Land and labor resources are tight, and production costs are high. Its farming system is mainly a two-crop system. In 2005/2006 this area planted 888 thousand hectares of rapeseed, with rapeseed output of 2.04 million tons, and area and output respectively accounting for 14% and 18% of the Yangtze River Basin, making it the producing area with the highest rapeseed yield per unit area in the Yangtze River Basin. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai are located in the Yangtze River Delta, with convenient transportation and active port trade, and large-scale oil processing enterprises with strong driving capacity.
Jiangsu's rapeseed planting area is mainly concentrated north of the Yangtze River, including the hilly areas of Yancheng, Yangzhou, Taizhou, Nantong and Nanjing. Zhejiang's rapeseed planting is mainly concentrated in two areas: first, the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area in northern Zhejiang, and second, the Quzhou-Jinhua area in southern Zhejiang; the rapeseed output of the two areas accounts for about 85% of Zhejiang's total output. In recent years, both the rapeseed planting area and output in Zhejiang have declined substantially, especially in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area, where the decline has been even greater due to rapid industrial development.
(4) Due to differences in climate and soil, the annual harvest time of rapeseed in areas along the river is not the same. The upper reaches of the Yangtze River are about 15 days earlier than the middle reaches, and the middle reaches are about 20 days earlier than the lower reaches. In normal years, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River begin harvesting at the end of May and the beginning of June. Generally, the period from harvest to the end of bulk trading for rapeseed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is April to June, about 90 days. The period from harvest to the end of bulk trading for rapeseed in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is May to June, about 60 days. The period from harvest to the end of bulk trading for rapeseed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River is July to early August, ending in about 30 days.