OTTAWA, CANADA — Despite an increase in production Canada’s wheat exports fell in the 2019-20 trade year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Wheat exports for 2019-20 decreased 4% compared to the previous trade year but have increased significantly since March. The USDA attributes the recent uptick to diminished rail competition, which helped increase exports of wheat, flour, and wheat products. Exports for the month of April through August were up over the three-year average for that period. The pace has extended into the first quarter of the 2020-21 trade year.

Canada exported 5.1 million tonnes of durum on a 5-million-tonnes crop, shrinking ending stocks to their lowest level in years, the USDA said. 

Canada’s total wheat production is forecast to increase 5% compared with 2019 and both yields and quality are described as excellent, according to the USDA.