Australia: 2023-24 barley exports up 11.7%

Australia’s grain-marketing season concluded at the end of September, and with last week’s release of that month’s export data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics came the twelfth and final chapter of the nation’s 2023-24 grain-export dossier, Grain Central reported on November 12.

While analysis of the data reveals a sharp decrease in export volumes compared to the record 2022-23 season, it did not come as a surprise after 2023 harvest volumes were down dramatically year on year due to drought, especially in Western Australia and New South Wales, the nation’s top producing states.

Total exports of the top four commodities – wheat, barley, canola, and sorghum – fell 24.9 percent, or 11.88 million tonnes (Mt), to 35.88Mt collectively. The program was behind from the get-go, with shipments in the first quarter of the marketing year falling by 19.1pc compared to the previous corresponding period. Exports in the subsequent three quarters were down 20.7pc, 30.5pc and 30pc respectively.

The importance of, and reliance on, China as a destination for Australian grains stood out in the 2023-24 data. China collectively accounted for 33pc of all bulk and container exports of the top four commodities, up from 21.8pc in the 2022-23 marketing year, and 22pc the season prior.

From a monthly perspective, the biggest shipping month across the four commodities was January, with a total of 4.08Mt, compared to March of the previous season when 5.4Mt was exported. In fact, January was the only month above the 4Mt threshold in the 2023-24 export matrix, compared to the entire December-to-May period in the 2022-23 marketing year.

However, the decline in export volume in 2023-24 was restricted to wheat and sorghum only. Canola shipments were almost exactly the same as the previous season, and barley staged a dramatic China-led export recovery after Beijing dropped the exorbitant import tariffs on Australian barley in early August last year.

Total barley exports in 2023-24 finished at 7.91Mt by the end of September, 830,000t or 11.7pc higher season on season. December was the peak month, with a record 1.29Mt shipped, eclipsing the previous record of 1.26Mt set in March 2017. While WA shipped the biggest volume, it did fall from 4.36Mt in 2022-23 to 4Mt last season. This decrease was almost entirely nullified by an increase of 310,000t in South Australia to 1.98Mt. The shining light was Victoria, where a huge harvest last year saw barley shipments jump by 91.6pc to 1.88Mt.

Unlike the previous three seasons, barley exports in 2023-24 were dominated by China, with 6.13Mt or 77.5pc of the shipped volume discharged at a myriad of the nation’s bulk ports and container terminals. The program to China was also heavily front-ended, with 68.8pc in the first half of the season and 31.2pc in the last six months. With the rise of China came the fall of Saudi Arabia, exports to which fell from 1.83Mt in 2022-23 to zero last season, emphasising its position as a market of last resort for Australian barley exporters.

Japan was the second-biggest barley destination in 2023-24 at 870,000t or 11pc of the annual volume. The third-biggest customer at 220,000t, or 2.8pc of sales, was Mexico, a market nurtured in recent years as a consistent and vital buyer of Australian malting barley.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .