Canola is starting to flower on the plains of NSW. Photo: Barry Haskins
AUSTRALIA exported 447,776 tonnes of canola in May, up 56 percent from the 287,086t shipped in April, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The largest markets for May-shipped canola were Pakistan on 166,529t, the United Arab Emirates on 148,856t and Japan on 120,694t.
May shipments to Europe comprise only 64t to Belgium, in contrast to May 2022, when 416,352t was exported to European nations to form 77pc of the monthly total shipped of 542,396t.
According to Lachstock Consulting’s analysis of shipping stems, monthly shipping rates this year are expected to drop to around 400,000t in June and July.
Lachstock’s current estimate has the Australian canola crop now in the ground pegged at 5.72 million tonnes (Mt), 29pc smaller than the record 2022-23 crop.
Lachstock’s new-crop estimates is well above ABARES initial figure released last month of 4.91Mt.
| CANOLA | Mar | Apr | May | Tonnes |
| Argentina | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bangladesh | 266 | 429 | 1501 | 2196 |
| Belgium | 63732 | 0 | 64 | 63796 |
| Canada | 41 | 42 | 45 | 128 |
| Chile | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| France | 96672 | 31711 | 0 | 128383 |
| Germany | 148004 | 100623 | 0 | 248627 |
| Hungary | 0 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Japan | 30962 | 70311 | 120694 | 221967 |
| Malaysia | 6866 | 5096 | 3765 | 15727 |
| Mexico | 48300 | 0 | 0 | 48300 |
| Nepal | 4134 | 1231 | 5485 | 10849 |
| Netherlands | 6449 | 0 | 0 | 6449 |
| New Zealand | 841 | 597 | 834 | 2272 |
| Pakistan | 294 | 21999 | 166529 | 188823 |
| Portugal | 21000 | 0 | 0 | 21000 |
| South Africa | 54 | 28 | 0 | 82 |
| UAE | 169938 | 55000 | 148856 | 373794 |
| TOTAL | 597555 | 287086 | 447776 | 1332416 |
Table 1: Australian canola exports for March, April and May 2023. Source: ABS
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