Canada’s canola exports declined in April amid weaker demand from key markets

China remained the largest buyer of Canadian canola, importing 452 thousand tonnes during the month. Although this was one of the strongest monthly results recorded over the past year, it was still slightly below the level seen in the same period a year earlier.

At the same time, shipments to other destinations declined significantly. The sharpest drop was recorded in exports to Japan, traditionally one of the leading importers of Canadian canola. Deliveries to the Japanese market fell to just 34 thousand tonnes in April, compared with 269 thousand tonnes in March.

Since the beginning of the 2025/26 marketing year, Canada has exported 6.06 million tonnes of canola, below the 7.68 million tonnes shipped during the same period of the previous season. The European Union, China, and Japan remain the country’s key export markets, although trade flows have shifted, with exports to the EU increasing while shipments to China remain well below last year’s levels.