A crop of canola coming into flower at Baringhup in central Victoria. Photo: Adrian Iadaniwskyj, Mecardo

AUSTRALIA exported 480,955 tonnes of canola in June, down 11 per cent from 542,396t shipped in May, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Japan on 120,478t was the biggest customer, taking 25pc of total June shipments, with The Netherlands on 82,967t and the United Kingdom on 66,000t, just ahead of Belgium on 65,044t.

In its August 2 Australian Export Vessel Lineups commentary, Lachstock Consulting said exports of canola are expected to drop to just under 400,000t in July, and around 270,000t in August.

Australia’s canola exports for the first nine months of its marketing year now stand at 4.64 million tonnes (Mt), with Germany on 1,151,745t and Belgium on 920,879t the biggest markets by far.

On the production front, the Grains Industry Association of WA (GIWA) on Friday lifted its forecast for Western Australian new-crop canola production to 3.16 million tonnes (Mt), up from 2.84Mt seen in its July crop report, largely due to planted area being greater than initially thought.

While the crop in Victoria is in generally in very good shape, conditions are mixed in South Australia.

In New South Wales, overcast days and wet conditions have limited area and yield potential in many districts.

The Australian Oilseeds Federation earlier this month forecast Australian canola production at 5.51Mt from 3.43Mha, compared with 2.97Mha producing a record 6.33Mt in 2020-21.

Table 1: Australian canola export from October 2021 to June 2022. Source: ABS

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