AUSTRALIA exported 1.35 million tonnes (Mt) of wheat in July, up marginally from 1.34Mt shipped in June, according to the latest export figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The July total is made up of 170,234t in containers, up from 123,061t in June, while bulk at 1.18Mt is below the June figure of 1.22Mt.

Bulk imports from Indonesia in July at 277,304t were down 25 per cent from June shipments of 370,451t, which trade sources have said has reflected increased shipments from Black Sea ports as their new-crop hit the market.

As usual, Indonesia was Australia’s biggest bulk market in July, even though the tonnage was close to half of the 527,209t it imported in July last year.

As with June bulk shipments, The Philippines held second place, taking 183,394t of bulk wheat in July.

As was the case in June, China did not list as a bulk export destination in July, which also indicates its focus on new-crop northern-hemisphere shipments.

Iraq on 104,700t was Australia’s third-biggest bulk market in July, which pushed Korea into fourth place.

At 59,585t, The Philippines was Australia’s biggest market for containerised wheat exported in July, with Myanmar on 31,094t in second place, and Taiwan on 17,533t in third.

In its latest report on Indonesia, the Australian Export Grains Innnovation Centre (AEGIC) said the nation imported around 4.2Mt of Australia’s of annual production of approximately 25Mt, and this generated export revenue of $1.2b.

The report said rising incomes, a growing population and changing food tastes were lifting Indonesia’s need for wheat, which it does not produce itself.

Table 1: ABS export data for Australia’s May, June and July 2018 containerised wheat.

Table 2: ABS export data for Australia’s May, June and July 2018 bulk wheat.