Canola Declines
2026-03-23 17:22
By
Felipe Alarcon
1 min. read
Canola futures fell below $720 per tonne as the cooling of Middle Eastern tensions triggered a broad sell-off in the energy and oilseed complex.
This downward correction was driven by a sharp drop in crude oil prices following negotiation hopes between the US and Iran, a development that significantly weakened the biofuel-driven demand floor and reduced the speculative risk premium previously embedded in the market.
While the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a 30% spike in fertilizer costs initially pressured margins and incentivized an additional 200,000-hectare shift in Canadian planting intentions, the five-day postponement of military strikes eased concerns over imminent supply chain disruptions and high diesel overheads.
Furthermore, spillover weakness from wheat and softer soybean oil markets reinforced the bearish sentiment, as international refiners pivoted away from high-cost vegetable oils in response to stabilizing global stock expectations.