Why is Saudi Arabia reducing feed barley imports?

Published 2025년 2월 13일

Tridge summary

Saudi Arabia, a major global importer of feed barley, is reducing its imports and shifting to alternative feeds due to the intention to ban alfalfa cultivation and rising hay prices. The country is also experiencing a decrease in barley supplies due to increased demand from China and logistical challenges in the Red Sea. This has led to a surge in corn imports for feed use. Furthermore, the Saudi government is encouraging the shift from raw barley feed to processed feed, which is more economical and requires less water, contributing to the decline in demand for imported hay and barley blends.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Saudi Arabia (SA), one of the world's largest buyers of feed barley, is reducing its imports and switching to alternative feeds. The intention to ban the cultivation of alfalfa, which was the main component in the feed mixture with barley, will lead to increased demand for corn. Grain Brokers Australia analyst Peter McMeekin talks about trends in the feed barley market. According to USDA, barley imports, which amounted to 10.4 million tons in 2015/16 MY, in 2020/21 MY – 6.1 million tons, in 2022/23 MY – 3.1 million tons, in 2023/24 MY – 2.6 million tons, decreased in 2024/25 MY to 2.2 million tons. This may be due to the absence of Australian barley on the market after increased demand from China due to the abolition of tariffs. In 2023/24 MY, almost 74% of Saudi Arabia’s barley imports came from the Russian Federation, 10% from Australia, 9% from the EU and 7% from Ukraine. The share of Australian barley in the SA market in 2022/23 MY was 53%, in 2021/22 MY – over 63%. The ...

Source: Graintrade