Brief Poppy seed Market Update – March 2022

As usual, the pre-Easter period remains quiet. Some farmers have postponed cleaning seeds in anticipation of better pricing in the months to come. We will start to see farmers cleaning their seed as the market begins to strengthen or as the market’s demand depletes the amount of stock currently held by distributors. Sowing areas are expected to less than in 2021. This comes as some farmers have made the decision to move away from growing Poppy seed to easier growing and lower maintenance crop. There are very few treatments with pesticides for Poppy seed, making the cultivation and maintenance of Poppy seed very difficult.