The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) expects to export more feed and malting barley in the coming marketing year because of bigger supplies and better markets, its president said August 07. The CWB may export about 500,000 tonnes of feed barley and 2.0 million to 2.5 million tonnes of malting barley in the 2003-2004 shipping year, which runs from August to July, Adrian Measner told reporters at a news conference. "It will be a healthy program and would be a very positive program," Measner said.

In 2002-2003, the CWB exported only 9,000 tonnes of feed barley, most to Japan, down from the paltry 24,000 tonnes of exports the previous crop year. The CWB, which has a monopoly on wheat and barley exports from the Canadian Prairies, exported between 300,000 and 450,000 tonnes of malting barley last year, down from 942,000 tonnes the previous year.

Barley exports plummeted over the past two years because a drought in Western Canada cut a deep swath through supplies and quality, according to Reuters.

Its top customers for malting barley were the United States (161,000 tonnes), South Africa (61,000 tonnes), China (45,000 tonnes) and Japan (24,000 tonnes).

Much depends on what farmers can harvest this fall, Measner said, noting that hot, dry weather has hurt yields and quality. The CWB is currently forecasting a barley harvest of 11.4 million tonnes.

How much feed barley Canadian cattle producers will use is also unknown this year, Measner said. Exports of cattle and beef have been at a standstill since May 20, when a single case of mad cow disease was detected and dozens of export markets closed their borders.

The European Union's suspension of weekly grain export tenders on July 31 because of drought has eliminated a competitor for Canadian barley, Measner said.

"Because the European Union has withdrawn from the market, it's created some short-term opportunities and the future's uncertain, we don't know how long they're going to stay out," he said.

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