Focus switch to demand
WITH harvest all but done nationally, the market is now looking to confirm the size of the Aussie wheat crop and to determine trade flows for the exportable surplus.
Looking across Australia, receival data from some of the larger bulk handling facilities indicates to us that it’s allaying previous concerns of a sub 20mmt Australian wheat crop.
In Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria, improved final production numbers versus forecasts have been more notable where late rainfall and finishing conditions have offset the production shortfalls seen in New South Wales and Queensland.
While official numbers will take a while to be confirmed, evidence is emerging that production is closer to the 22mmt mark than the previously thought 20mmt.
W.A has come home with a late finish too, indicating production numbers pushing 8mmt. S.A has held close to its 4mmt, while it’s Victorian neighbour looks to push over 4mmt.
The major focus for the balance of the season then switches to demand and where Australian wheat is likely to find homes. With an export task of around 16mmt, demand will tend to switch back to more routine demand verse last season when the export task was some 7mmt higher. Where demand will likely slip, is into those destinations that increased their imports of ASW type wheat quite markedly last season – namely Philippines, Indonesia, India and China.
With Black Sea and Argentine wheat currently around $25-30 cheaper than Australian ASW and APW destination markets, this will lead to the slowdown in demand for Australian wheat.
The Philippines will still import some ASW wheat for feed purposes.
This is due to a seven per cent import advantage for Australian wheat verse other
origins and quality preferences. So far though, much of the program this year has switched back to Black Sea feed wheat.
Demand is likely to be slightly lower than last year though as the government tries to curb the surge in wheat imports used for feed markets.
Nevertheless, the
Indonesian industry will still need to use Australian milling wheat in the grist’s so there cannot be any 1:1 replacement with Black Sea. Indian demand this season will also be down due to a bigger local crop harvested compared to last April / May.
The recent increase in the import duty for wheat from 10-20 per cent has played its
part too. In the first four months of the export season (October -January), Australia will export around 3.8mmt. So, while this is a little bit behind schedule, the normal peak shipment months of February through to May are still ahead of us and this should put the program back on track. At current relative values versus other origins
though, it is unlikely that we can expect any significant price improvement. This is of course unless we start to see softness in the AUD and/or production problems arise for the northern hemisphere growing season.
At this point in the pricing season, it is hard to see a significant up-tick in demand for Australian wheat.
❝At
this point in the pricing season, it is hard to see significant up-tick in demand...
— Luke Mason