Australia exports 2.69Mt wheat in July

Australia exported 2,687,824 tonnes of wheat in July, according to the latest export data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This is up 5 percent from 2,558,940t shipped in June, and up 4pc from 2,589,743t exported in July 2022.

The three largest destinations for containerised wheat exports in July 2023 were China on 25,730t, Taiwan on 20,139t and Thailand on 17,130t.

On bulk exports, Indonesia on 625,998t, China on 602,643t and The Philippines on 446,327t were the three largest-volume destinations.

The most recent Lachstock Supply and Demand Report – Wheat issued August 31, Lachstock Consulting estimates Australia’s wheat exports since 1 October 22 at at 25.45 million tonnes (Mt), compared with 20.73Mt over the 2021-22 period.

“If we add the volume that is currently on the stem and allow for some extra vessels to be added in September, we are on track for a record export program of 31.4Mt, easily surpassing last year’s record of 27.6Mt,” the report said.

Lachstock is now forecasting new-crop wheat production at just under 26Mt, while ABARES on Sep 5 cut its forecast to 25.4Mt, down 800,000t from its initial June estimate.

“By the end of the current marketing year, it is estimated that Western Australia will have exported around 12.91Mt, beating last year’s record by 2.86Mt, which is an impressive improvement in export capacity.

“South Australia will have also exported a record volume by the end of September, estimated at 5.98Mt, beating their previous best set in 2016-17 by nearly 1Mt.

“At 5.12Mt, Victoria will have also exported a record volume, up 10pc from last year’s high.

“Volumes out of NSW will be lower than previous years, and Queensland will be just below last year’s record.”

Table 1: Australian containerised wheat exports for May, June and July 2023. Source: ABS

Table 2: Australian bulk wheat exports for May, June and July 2023. Source: ABS

Tags: Australia, China, export, Indonesia, wheat, Thailand, Taiwan, The Philippines