After a five-year ban, the first shipment of Australian canola to China is expected to sail from a regional West Australian port this weekend.

Analysts say the 65,000-tonne trial shipment is a sign Australia's $4-billion canola export industry could reinstate trade with what was once one of its most valuable customers.

Australian canola was locked out of China in 2020 due to disease concerns, but a spat between China and the world's largest exporter of the product, Canada, could reopen the door for Australian farmers.

CBH Esperance Port zone general manager Paul Channon said the Armonia A docked on Wednesday and was expected to be loaded and to sail to Qingdao, in north-east China's Shandong province, on Saturday.

"We're lucky to be part of that shipment within our zone, and it's a we

See Full Page