MEDIUM Merino fleece wool made up half the online bale sales on the AuctionsPlus offer board last week.

The offer board experienced another slight drop in total bales sold to 1435 bales.

But buyers bought 449 bales of 20 micron wool for up to at 1099c/kg greasy, or 1483c/kg clean, and paid to 987c/kg greasy, or 1360c/kg clean, for 287 bales of 21 micron wool.

Last week’s top priced lot was 1935c/kg greasy, or 2800c/kg clean, for three bales of 16.5 micron wool, with an average staple length of 91mm long and 1.3 percent vegetable matter content. The line was branded ‘Waveney Park’ and was offered by Nutrien Ag Solutions in Victoria.

AuctionsPlus said demand for fine Merino fleece wool was the driving force behind the 20-cent rise in the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) last week to 1468c/kg clean, or US1108c/kg.

Due to Fremantle’s mid-year schedule of fortnightly sales, only Melbourne and Sydney centres operated, with about 30,000 bales offered with a passed-in rate of 5.1pc.

AuctionsPlus said despite the increase in COVID-related restrictions in New South Wales and Victoria, the United States and United Kingdom economies have begun to reopen, meaning wool processing has started to pick back up, increasing overseas demand.

Despite this; however, issues around shipping have caused headaches for importers trying to fulfil contracts, meaning local buyers purchased the bulk of this week’s offering, AuctionsPlus said.