Canola: a growing force in South Africa's agricultural landscape

Zander Spammer, an agricultural resource manager at Southern Oil, spoke to Zunel van Eeden about the growth of the canola industry in South Africa and the main uses for this versatile crop.

- Zunel van Eeden

Canola (Brassica napus) belongs to the cabbage family (Brassicaceae) and was originally bred as a commercial oilseed crop in Canada during the 1970s.

Today, canola is cultivated in various parts of the world, with South Africa emerging as one of the key production regions, having over 600 producers dedicated to this valuable crop.

Canola is typically grown in cold climates. In South Africa, it is planted in winter and harvested in spring. This makes the crop well suited to the Mediterranean-like climate of the Western Cape, which enjoys cool, moist conditions during the growing season. The region’s combination of cool nighttime temperatures and sea breezes creates an ideal environment for canola cultivation.

WESTERN CAPE LEADS PRODUCTION

Although South Africa’s canola production is concentrated in the Western Cape, smaller quantities are also grown in the Eastern Cape, North West, and Limpopo.

Over the past five years, production has increased threefold, driven by better cultivars delivering better yields, thus making the crop very lucrative for farmers.

As health-conscious consumers seek alternatives to other cooking oils, the demand for canola oil continues to grow. In 2024, the area under canola production in South Africa increased from 127 000ha to 145 000ha, with an estimated national yield of 2t/ha.

SOILL’S ROLE

Zander Spammer is an agricultural resource manager at Southern Oil (SOILL), an oil extraction plant and edible oil refinery situated in Swellendam. He says SOILL played a pivotal role in establishing canola as a commercially viable crop in South Africa.