CBH Group loaded its largest ever cargo of wheat at Albany in early May, 57,400t bound for China. Photo: CBH Group

AUSTRALIA exported 767,092 tonnes of wheat in May, down 11 per cent from 862,815t shipped in April, according to the latest export figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

China was the biggest market by far, taking 232,197t in total of bulk and containerised wheat, followed by South Korea on 92,050t and Vietnam on 90,088t.

These shipments came mainly from South Australia and Western Australia, and reflect a limited availability out of eastern states due to the impact of drought on last year’s production in New South Wales.

WA’s dominant bulk handler, CBH Group, on 1 July pegged its wheat stocks at 273,116t, while Glencore’s Viterra in SA has published its wheat stocks as of 1 July at 318,805t, down from 579,125t on 1 June.

These numbers point to a small carry-out into new-crop, which will become available for shipment in high volume in December.

Table 1: Australian bulk wheat exports in March, April and May 2020. Source: ABS

Table 2: Australian containerised wheat exports in March, April and May 2020. Source: ABS

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