SOUTHEAST Asia has emerged as a key market for grain exports, new analysis and figures from the Port of Melbourne reveal.
The port has just released its data for the 2025 financial year, with 3.7 million tonnes of grains and pulses exported to all markets, accounting for almost one-third of total overseas export volume.
According to port management, “a significant trend” during the past five years was Southeast Asia’s emergence as a key importer of Australian grain and pulses.
The grains and pulses commodity category is made up of wheat, barley, pulses, canola, malt and cereals & oats.
Some 1.4 million tonnes was exported to Southeast Asia during the 2025 financial year according to port management, the highest tonnage ever recorded.
Southeast Asian nations account for four of the port’s top five grain and pulses export markets in the 2025 financial year, with Indonesia (9% of total grain exports), Vietnam (9%), the Philippines (7%) and Thailand (7%) absorbing “substantial volumes” of the port’s grain exports.
Wheat was the top commodity exported to Southeast Asia.
Indonesia and Thailand are among the key regional importers, most of their wheat from Australia according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Meanwhile, South Asia, notably India and Bangladesh, grew in significance, importing notable quantities of lentils and canola.
China remains the largest importer of our grains, representing 11% of total grain and pulses exported through Port of Melbourne.
All up, grain exports recorded a compound annual growth rate of 21% over the five-year period from financial year 2020, improving from drought-affected conditions around that time.
Notably, wheat continues to lead export volumes, with 2.02 million tonnes of wheat leaving the Port in FY25.