Commodity News Service Canada — Canola basis levels in Western Canada are already looking better than year-ago levels, but they’re expected to continue improving, Bruce Burnett said during a presentation at the Cereals of North America conference in Winnipeg.
Ending stocks in 2014/15 are predicted at around 911,000 tonnes by CWB, as demand remains strong and production is expected to drop from last year. At the end of 2013/14, stocks of canola were at 2.363 million tonnes, Statistics Canada data shows.
CWB predicted exports of canola at 8.7 million tonnes for 2014/15 and estimated Canadian canola production at 14.863 million tonnes, below the current Statistics Canada estimate of 14.080 million tonnes. In 2013/14, 17.966 million tonnes of canola were grown in Canada.
Read Also
U.S. grains: Soy drops on demand worries, corn firm as traders question lofty yield projections
U.S. soybean futures fell to a 1-1/2 week low on Tuesday as China continued to shun purchases from the United States and as forecasts for improved rains in the coming days reinforced expectations for a sizeable Midwest harvest.
The relatively tight fundamental situation won’t necessarily be reflected in the ICE Futures Canada market for canola, as the U.S. is expecting to produce a record large soybean crop this year.
But, Prairie basis levels will likely improve, as they will need to ration demand as we move into the last quarter of 2014/15, Burnett said.
Burnett said the better meal content is good for canola this year, as a recent rally in North American oilseeds is linked to strength in soymeal. But, in the long term he is neither bearish, nor bullish on canola.
