A new project in Australia is aiming to find new export opportunities for canola meal produced in the country, World Grain wrote.
Canola is an important component of farming systems across most Australian cropping regions, according to the 19 November report.
Led by Grains Australia, the project would focus on finding new export markets in key Asian livestock sectors and the New Zealand dairy industry, the report said.
Grains Australia CEO Richard Simonaiti was quoted as saying the initiative was aimed at maximising value for canola farmers.
“By enabling diversification and growth of meal exports, the project will support higher canola crush margins, strengthen farm-gate returns and encourage expansion of the canola industry,” Simonaitis added.
According to Simonaitis, increasing demand for canola oil has led to significant investments in Australia’s domestic canola crushing capacity, which had generated increasing amounts of canola meal as a by-product.
Australia produced about 640,000 tonnes of canola meal in 2024, with more than 90% used domestically, he said.
Although the fourth largest canola producer in the world, Australia is not one the top exporters of canola meal and oil, according to the report.
“Domestic canola meal production is forecast to increase and will require new markets in both domestic and export feed industries,” Simonaitis added.
He pointed to earlier work by the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre and the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF), which had highlighted opportunities for Australian canola meal in the New Zealand dairy and Southeast Asian aquaculture industries.
“However, further work is needed to assess and prioritise additional high-value opportunities in Asia in particular, especially in sectors including pigs, poultry and dairy,” Simonaitis said.
In addition to identifying and defining new export opportunities for Australian canola meal, the project aims to address technical and knowledge gaps around the quality and nutritional value of Australian canola meal and support market engagement with evidence-based resources that increase demand, according to the report.
Grains Australia is an initiative of the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
