Tasmanian Grain Elevators Board chairman Tony Wright said canola was on the increase in Tasmania. Last year 450 tonnes were shipped to Melbourne, 120 tonnes sold locally as feed, and about 300 tonnes processed at Tasmanian Cold Press Oils, established at Cressy in 1998.
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Roberts agronomic services manager Terry Horan said about 400ha of the oilseed had been planted in Northern Tasmania to be harvested in January.
Mr Horan said the crop returned about $360 a tonne but had wide benefits for farmers.
"Canola is a high-value crop in a rotation because it helps break disease cycles in other cereals," he said.
Mr Horan said this year's record wet winter had prevented some canola from being sown but crops in the ground were growing well.
Campbell Town farmer Crosby Lyne sowed 22ha of Clearfield canola at his mixed farming property this year, and expects to harvest late next month.
Mr Lyne has grown the crop for three years and is hosting a Southern Farming Systems canola trial on his property.
He said canola was a valuable feed source for bees and a good break crop for his cereal crops.
