Oilmeal exports fall 51% during April-September

Oilmeal exports fell by 51 per cent in the first half of the current financial year due to weak demand and lower crushing and processing by local mills.

According to data compiled by the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA), the premier industry body, oilmeal exports slumped to 1.23 million tonnes between April and September 2009, as compared to 2.53 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

However, total shipment jumped 19 per cent to 231,000 tonnes in September, against 193,000 tonnes in the same period last year.
   

FACT-SHEET Oilmeal exports during April-September                (in tonnes)
Country	2008	2009	% change
China	2,31,012	1,69,702	(-) 26.5
Vietnam	6,06,577	3,28,656	(-) 45.8
South Korea	4,61,684	1,82,920	(-) 60.4
Japan	3,09,546	1,71,920	(-) 44.5
Indonesia	1,80,080	1,02,966	(-) 42.8
Thailand	2,30,836	1,45,478	(-) 36.9
Total	25,29,361	12,33,961	(-) 51.21

Since farmers held stocks back last year in anticipation of higher prices in future, crushing units got less for oil extraction, resulting in a decline in domestic meal production. About 70 per cent of animal feed produced in the country is exported, while 30 per cent is used locally.

Soymeal exports plunged to 644,000 tonnes from 1.66 million tonnes during the period, while rapemeal exports fell to 462,000 tonnes from 605,000 tonnes. Groundnut extraction exports were reduced to nil from 27,033 tonnes during the first half of the previous year.

Indian exporters also successfully shipped 1,492 tonnes of sunflower extraction during the period. Rice bran extraction and castor meal exports fell dramatically to 50,628 tonnes and 74,678 tonnes, from 106,522 tonnes and 126,826 tonnes, respectively.

Owing to lesser demand at consuming centers in the past two months, export realisation reduced dramatically, with the soybean meal price falling to $373 a tonne as on October 5 from $430 on August 9. Prices of rapeseed meal also dived from $233 a tonne to $213 a tonne.

Between April and September, China bought 169,702 tonnes of oilmeals, mainly consisting of rapeseed meal of 150,447 tonnes and a small quantity of soybean meal. Export to Vietnam was heavily reduced to 328,656 tonnes from 606,577 tonnes in April-September last year. Similarly, export to South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand has also fallen.

Data compiled by the Indore-based Soybean Processors Association reveal that exports of soymeal during the oil year (October ’08 - September ’09) was down by 34.3 per cent, at 3.21 million tonnes as compared to 4.89 million tonnes during the same period last year.

Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Korea were the major destinations for Indian soymeal exports. Vietnam and Japan together accounted for almost half of India’s soymeal shipment during the oil year.

The trend, however, reversed during September and exports rose 151.6 per cent, at 172,000 tonnes as against 68,442 tonnes during the same period last year.