Australia details February canola exports amid China talk

Australia's canola exports in February dropped by 33 percent to 526,013 tonnes, with the biggest market being Belgium. The exports to China may reopen as a trial cargo is booked to sail from Western Australia next month, following China's withdrawal from buying bulk Australian canola in 2020 due to a zero-tolerance policy for blackleg. Australia has temporarily lost market access to Pakistan due to the Pakistani Government rescinding approval for fumigation of Australian canola with methyl bromid on-arrival.

Australia exported 526,013 tonnes of canola in February, down 33 percent from 783,343t in January, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Australian canola trade is abuzz with talk that its market into China may reopen, and that a trial cargo or part cargo is booked to sail from Western Australia next month. China withdrew from buying bulk Australian canola in 2020, when it introduced a zero-tolerance policy for blackleg. This reduced Australia’s canola exports to China in recent years to a few hundred tonnes here and there of containerised seed. The trade stoush between Canada and China is believed to have China seriously considering bulk imports from Australia, provided varietal and other specifications can be met. In February exports, Belgium on 237,931t was the biggest market for Australian canola by far, followed by the United Arab Emirates on 115,617t, and The Netherlands on 64,290t. The February 2025 total export figure for ...