Market Morsel: 1st quarter Australian grain exports

Market Morsel

From December 2024 to March 2025, Australia’s grain exports remained strong across wheat, barley, canola, and sorghum.

Wheat exports totalled over 8 million tonnes across the four months, with each month recording high volumes. Wheat exports have traded largely in line with the longer-term average. Indonesia and the Philippines have been our biggest markets for the first three months of the year, with them each taking 18% of our trade. Our wheat market continues to be our most diversified grain.

Barley exports were also very strong, especially in January and February, when over 1 million tonnes were shipped each month. This reflects the recovery in trade with China and a return to more typical export levels. In March, China imported 714kmt, which was 85% of our total trade in barley.

Canola had a standout performance. March 2025 saw over 900,000 tonnes shipped, and the four-month total was one of the highest on record. This highlights strong demand and a big harvest. European nations took the bulk of our canola, as is usually the case.

Sorghum exports, although smaller, increased sharply in March to over 200,000 tonnes.  The bulk of our sorghum was destined for China, with China a buyer of 83% of our sorghum in recent months.

Overall, December to March was a strong start to the export season for overall grain exports. The pace of this years is likely to slow down in the coming months.