NEARLY three quarters of Australia's bulk wheat shipments last season ended up in an Asian port.
According to Wheat Exports Australia’s final Report for Growers, 15.9 million tonnes of bulk wheat was shipped to Asia in 2011-12 out of total bulk exports of 22 million tonnes.
The report said bulk wheat shipments last season were 43 per cent than 2010-11, when 11.1 million tonnes were exported.
Exports to the Middle East also increased strongly during 2011-12, albeit off a small base.
The WEA said bulk exports to the Middle East increased by 29 per cent higher last season to 3.1 million tonnes, up from 2.4 million tonnes in 2010-11.
The export watchdog said a number of factors were responsible for the increase in wheat exports to Asia, including:
A larger Australian crop;
- Less grain available from Black Sea countries; and
- China increasing its imports of Australian wheat.
WEA chief executive officer Peter Woods said the Report for Growers was a record of what the industry achieved in its fourth year since the wheat export market was deregulated.
"Of note is that in 2011-12, Australia exported a record 24.6 million tonnes of wheat, of which 22 million tonnes was in bulk,'' Mr Woods said.
"Significantly, the top five bulk exporters accounted for 72 per cent of Australia's total bulk wheat exports in 2011-12, compared to 63 per cent in 2010-11.''
The top five buyers of bulk wheat from Australia were Indonesia, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
