NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway and NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas at Port Kembla, one of NSW’s two bulk grain ports. Photo: NSW Ports

AUSTRALIA exported 2,515,031 tonnes of wheat in August, down 3 per cent from the 2,583,590t shipped in July, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In the boxed market, Vietnam on 51,365t was the biggest buyer, followed by Taiwan on 37,720t and Malaysia on 28,802t.

In the bulk market, the largest-volume destination was Indonesia on 419,220t followed by The Philippines on 411,496t and China on 298,810t.

The China figure is less than half that of the previous month, and is likely a reflection of Black Sea wheat hitting the market.

According to Lachstock Consulting’s Australian Export Vessels Lineup summary released October 5, the September bulk-shipment figure is likely to dip below 2 million tonnes (Mt) in both September and October.

Volume is expected to surge in November on new-crop availability.

While big carry-outs in New South Wales and Western Australia are the buffer for wheat exporters should rain delay harvest, stocks in South Australia especially are low, and will kick once its harvest gets under way in earnest next month, weather permitting.

Table 1: Australian containerised wheat and durum exports for June, July and August 2022. Source: ABS

Table 2: Australian bulk wheat and durum exports for June, July and August 2022. Source: ABS

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