EU may face a shortage of soymeal in the coming year
European compound feed producers fear that the EU could face a shortage of soybean meal as early as next year – the shortfall could be as high as 10%, with a shortage of around 30 million tonnes of soymeal. Farmers in EU countries, including Lithuania, could make up for this shortfall by expanding their soya production areas.
Climates are changing, breeders are developing new varieties with ever-improving results, and farmers and scientists are constantly experimenting on their own soils and in their own test plots. Soya – the perfect choice. It is a valuable starter crop that enriches the rotation and accumulates twice as much nitrogen in the soil (60 & 200 kg/ha) as peas.
From 2024, soya is included in the list of protein crops and becomes eligible for coupled support. Protein crops are an important part of the supply chain in the feed production sector and soya is one of the main protein crops in feed production.The payment rate foreseen for producers of protein crops and their mixtures is around €55/ha, which will represent 2.255% of the total financial allocation for direct payments.
In response to growing interest and demand, the State Crops Service under the Ministry of Agriculture has examined requests from farmers and producers and has extended the use of the contact-type herbicide "Corum" to soybean cultivation. The use of the herbicide has been extended for the control of dicotyledonous weeds in soybean crops in accordance with Article 51 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, when soybean is between the two true leaf stage and the fifth lateral shoot is visible. The herbicide „Corum“ was previously registered for the professional care of peas, beans and broad beans.
According to experts, four Lithuanian soybean varieties were cultivated in Lithuania before the war, yielding up to 2 t/ha, but later this crop was undeservedly forgotten.
According to the statistics on declarations of agricultural land, the number of declared soya areas has remained stable at a low level so far, with 2,625.28 hectares declared in 2015, 1,835.99 hectares in 2016, and 2,716.97 hectares in 2017.
Lithuanian farmers are already testing 12 soya varieties from Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Canada, adapted to our latitudes. They are harvesting 3.4 tonnes per hectare. So far, the crop, which grows on heavy red clay and less fertile soils, has not been attacked by pests.
EU directives encourage Member States to support the production of protein crops. In Poland – its nearest neighbour, an incentive scheme has been launched to provide financial support to soya growers. In neighbouring Poland, farmers grew soya on 40,000 hectares last year and 80,000 hectares this year, with a target of 1.5 million hectares of soya production and full GMO-free availability of this protein substance.
