Canada Markets

Week 36 statistics, released by the Canadian Grain Commission for the week ending April 9, shows producer deliveries of all major grains into licensed facilities totaling 40.903 million metric tons, 1.85 mmt or 4.7% higher than the same period in 2015/16 and 17.9% higher than the five-year average. While wheat deliveries into the licensed handling system (excluding durum) are approximately 1.3 mmt lower than last year, the largest year-over-year increase is seen in canola delivered by producers (1.5 mmt) and dry peas (1.1 mmt), with the cumulative increase in brackets.

Shipments from primary elevators as of week 36 are also ahead of both the previous crop year as well as the five-year average. Total shipments from primary elevators are reported at 32 mmt, 2.7% higher than in 2015/16 and 16.7% higher than the five-year average. Of the 15 grains listed, shipments of 10 crops are ahead of this time last year. So far this crop year, shipments of canola are slightly more than 1 mmt ahead of last year, while shipments of dry peas are close to 1 mmt ahead of this time last year. Shipments of wheat lags, down 1.7 mmt from the same period in 2015/16.

Despite the aggressive movement into the system and shipments from primary elevators, the export of grains from licensed facilities slightly lags year-ago volumes. As of April 9, a combined total of 28.972 mmt of the major grains had been exported from licensed facilities, down 1.2% from 2015/16, but 16.3% higher than the five-year average. The largest draws on 2015/16 performance are seen with wheat, at 2.2 mmt behind last year's pace, and durum, at 442,600 metric tons behind last year's pace. The largest gains are seen with peas (697,700 mt), canola (672,400 mt) and soybeans (539,400 mt), with the year-over-year increase in brackets.

At roughly 3.616 mmt, stocks of grain in the licensed handling system are 10.1% higher than seen in the same period in 2015/16 and 12.1% higher than the five-year average. Stocks have fallen for the third consecutive week after exceeding 4 mmt in week 33, while this week's stocks represent 51% of the total reported capacity of 7.0962 mmt and 78% of the estimated working capacity of 4.6125 mmt utilized by Quorum Corporation. Ahead of the spring season, country space is improving and can be viewed as good.

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