Australia 08-09 wheat exports nearly double on year

Australian wheat exports in the marketing year ended September 30 almost doubled on year to 14.6 million tonnes from 7.4 million tonnes previously, the government chief commodities forecaster, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, reported Friday.

Earlier this week, the government Bureau of Statistics estimated wheat production last crop year ended March 31, 2009 at 20.9 million tonnes, a rise of 54 percent on a drought-reduced harvest of 13.6 million tonnes in 2007-08.

Wheat exports in September of 982,400 tonnes fell 21 percent from 1.24 million tonnes in August, Abare reported.

Wheat exports in bulk totalled 12.2 million tonnes or 84 percent of the total, with the balance of 2.4 million tonnes exported in bags or containers, to a total of 54 countries last marketing year, with Indonesia the biggest importer, accounting for 2.6 million tons or 18 percent of total exports, Abare reported in its monthly wheat stocks and use publication.

Of other major export markets, Australia shipped 1.58 million tonnes or 11 percent of the total to Iran, with 973,000 tonnes destined for Vietnam, 890,000 tonnes for Iraq, 857,000 tonnes to Malaysia, 846,000 tonnes to Yemen, 808,000 tonnes to Japan, 793,000 tonnes to Sudan and 761,000 tonnes to South Korea, it reported.

Vietnam was the biggest importer of Australian wheat in bags and containers, taking 498,000 tonnes, while Indonesia took 325,000 tonnes, Malaysia 290,000 tonnes and Taiwan 252,000 tonnes.

At the start of October, bulk grain handlers had an estimated 3.4 million tonnes of wheat stored, down from 4.5 million tonnes a month earlier, Abare reported.