Australia’s April sorghum exports boom, barley drops

Japan on 116,535t and Saudia Arabia on 66,000t the second and third-biggest markets respectively. April-shipped malting barley totalled 101,690t, down 51pc from the March figure, and had only three destinations: China on 65,359t, Mexico on 33,000t, and Vietnam on 3331t. Sorghum exports rose 146pc from the March total of 188,285t to reflect peak new-crop availability. On 445,133t, China accounted for 96pc of sorghum shipped in April, with Kenya on 14,003t the second-biggest market, and The Philippines on 2172t the third. Flexi Grain pool manager Sam Roache said less availability and a momentary slump in demand from China have made May the lowest shipment month since December. “The combination of good comparative prices to corn and other feedgrains, a lack of Chinese buying, and limited Black Sea availability saw Middle Eastern buyers stand up for around 100,000t, or 15pc of exports, which is relatively high,” Mr Roache said. “Likewise Japan had a big month, further testament to ...