Source: Government of Alberta
“Weekly updates from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) provide useful crop market movement and demand information,” says Neil Blue, provincial crops market analyst with the Alberta government.
The Canadian Grain Commission numbers primarily include volumes of bulk crops moved through facilities licensed by the CGC.
“Producer deliveries to the elevator system were not delayed last fall by weather. Following drought-reduced 2021-22 shipping, producer deliveries this crop year exceed the year ago pace for all major crops.”
Figure 1. Comparative Producer Deliveries to March 19, 2023
“Crop export volumes have been strong for all major crops, although canola exports were slow to start the crop year,” says Blue.
Figure 2. Comparative Crop Exports to March 19, 2023
Wheat has outstanding crop export volume to date. The relatively weak Canadian dollar and 2 production years of high-quality wheat have supported wheat exports. Although Canada has a diverse wheat export market, China has been Canada’s top importer this crop year.
Durum exports have also been strong. Italy is the top importer of Canadian durum this year, followed by Algeria, Morocco, the U.S. and Tunisia.
Barley exports are stronger than year ago but are restricted by strong domestic demand for feed and malting barley.
Canola exports were slow to start the crop year due to limited carryin supplies from the last crop year. However, canola exports to date of 5.7 million tonnes are currently 1.7 million tonnes higher than year ago and on pace to reach forecast crop year projections.
