There's cautious optimism for another bumper year for hay exports
Published Jul 18, 2020
Tridge summary
Favourable seasonal conditions, and an increase in the amount of hay available for the domestic market, have led to cautious optimism among fodder exporters. Australian Fodder Industry Association chief executive John McKew said export volumes for the first five months of 2020 are up, on a year-on-year basis. He said 531,497 MT had been exported until the end of May, compared with 477,361 MT in the corresponding period of 2019.
Original content
The latest figures compare with a volume decline of just over six per cent, for 2019, compared with 2018. "The year is going well, but we all know export markets can be fickle beasts and our exporters must work hard to protect and sustain their markets," Mr McKew said. "It's a little bit early to start suggesting we'll have a record year of exports; there is a bit of moving around of export figures, from month to month. "There is a bit of seasonality about them, as there is with most things." Read more: Women bring their skills to drive hay business Frantic buying sparks hay shortage warning Hay shed boom But Mr McKew said during the height of the drought, exporters had to source product in a very strong domestic market, which had made things increasingly difficult. In 2018, Australia exported 1.2million metric tonnes. "I would expect some evening out, but five months in, we are looking like we could reach that milestone," Mr McKew said. "The caveats on that are the two big ones, ...
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