A Clearfield 45Y93 canola crop near Frankland in WA’s Great Southern region prior to grazing. Photo: Pioneer Seeds Australia

AUSTRALIA exported 139,172 tonnes of canola in April, down 59 per cent from the March total of 338,393, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The major destinations for April shipments were Germany on 65,866t and The Netherlands on 63,492t.

European imports of Australian canola as their own harvest approaches, but crushers are expected to resume purchasing of Australian seed late this year as domestic stocks run down.

In April 2018, Australia exported 551,895t of canola, with the massive tonnage made possible by the big Western Australia crop grown in 2017.

In April 2019, shipments plunged to 88,784t to reflect Australia’s reduced export surplus caused by drought in 2018 in New South Wales.

Shipping stems indicate Australia’s 2019-20 bulk canola export program will conclude this month, with only around 24,000t in total booked to be exported from WA.

One 25,000t cargo from WA is scheduled to load this month bound for Cargill’s oilseed crushing plant in Newcastle.

The plant has been relying on seed transshipped from interstate because the NSW drought decimated production in the state’s central and northern regions in 2018 and 2019.

Excellent production prospects for the NSW and Victorian canola crops look sure to supply all eastern-states plants with ample seed for the 2020-21 crush from November onward.

Canola crops in WA and South Australia are also mostly in good condition and were planted on time.

Table 1: Australian canola export data for January to April 2020. Source: ABS