Increased cultivation of rapeseed in Germany & rapeseed price information

Rapeseed is one of the major raw materials in the candle industry. Due to the environmental friendliness and the cultivation in Europe, rapeseed has gained more and more importance in the industry in the last years. Different products are manufactured on the basis of rapeseed. In the candle industry the classic rapeseed wax is used for e.g. freestanding candles or in another mixture for candles in containers. In addition to the classic rapeseed wax, a stearic acid based on rapeseed is also produced. This is 100% European and not palm oil based. The production of rapeseed wax naturally depends strongly on the area under cultivation on international, European and German fields. This varies due to different factors.

In German fields, the area under cultivation for rapeseed increased again last year. After the lowest value, in 2018, since the turn of the millennium, the area under cultivation increased again in almost all German states. This was announced by the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP). According to the UFOP, farmers planted approximately 950,000 hectares of rape in 2019. This corresponds to about half the area of Saxony. In 2018 the rape seed area was still about 90 000 hectares less.

Due to the very dry summers of the previous summers, it is becoming increasingly difficult for rapeseed farmers to grow rapeseed. The rapeseed plant can only be planted where the conditions are suitable. As a result of this restriction, the area under cultivation is increasingly reduced. At the same time, the corona pandemic has been a burden on farmers. Rapeseed is closely linked to crude oil and energy prices via the bioenergy markets, and as a result, this year's rapeseed prices have also plummeted massively after an extreme drop in crude oil prices in the first weeks of the Corona crisis.

Due to the slow recovery of crude oil prices, the price of rapeseed is also recovering increasingly, which is having a positive impact on the market.

We as a supplier of waxes are very well positioned, especially in the natural wax sector, and will inform you as soon as possible about changes in the markets.

If you need personal advice on waxes and individual offers, we look forward to hearing from you: Contact