A cargo of Australian canola that arrived in southern China this month has passed inspection, with processing at a crushing plant set to begin this week, two trade sources told Reuters on Thursday, easing concerns over delays in clearance.
Since August, China's state-owned COFCO has bought at least nine cargoes, or about 500,000 tonnes of Australian canola, after Beijing resumed purchases of imports shut out of its market since 2020 over concerns about biosecurity.
Although two of the total shipments have arrived, none have yet been processed. Canola shipments from Canada, the world's top supplier, typically clear customs in about a week.
The first bulk carrier, the Armonia A, arrived in the southern province of Guangdong in late November, and the second, Union Mariner, reached the neighbouring region of Guangxi in early January, LSEG ship-tracking data showed.
The shipment set to be processed this week is the second to arrive this month in Guangxi, the sources said. It is unclear why processing was delayed for the earlier shipment arriving in Guangdong.
The sources sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.
China's customs authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing and Ottawa stuck a trade deal this month that includes lower tariffs on Canadian canola, prompting Chinese importers to snap up about 10 cargoes, or more than a tenth of China's 2024 canola imports and about 26 per cent of its 2025 imports.
China imposed preliminary duties of 75.8 per cent on Canadian canola in August, as it carries out an anti-dumping probe, effectively halting shipments amid a wider diplomatic and trade dispute between the two nations.
(Reporting by Ella Cao and Naveen Thukral; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence Fernandez)
