EU: A Czech estimate puts the import deficit at 300.000 tons for the present crop year

In the past few months shipments of malting barley from France, Denmark and the UK to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic had been very substantial, and even Slovakia and Hungary had received a good number of trains of French spring and winter barley, market analysts commented on February 2nd.

A Czech estimate puts the import deficit at 300.000 tons for the present crop year. Maltsters all over the EU will end the campaign with no barley stocks extremely early in the new crop year and will need at least a 13 months supply for the new campaign, i.e. 850.000 tons additional malting barley of crop 2007. It is still unclear, how much old and new crop barley Russia will buy, estimates are upto 200.000 tons.

China's domestic barley stocks seem exhausted by now, and what are Chinese maltsters and brewers going to do without new offers coming from Canada and Australia? It is safe to assume that there will be a good Chinese demand for French winter barley for shipment between August and October. Business is already reported, certainly for container shipment, while a rumour of a sold Panamax bulk cargo cannot be confirmed yet.