Australia: Australias bumper barley crop this year shows very good overall quality
The IGC puts the Australian barley crop at 11.5 mln tonnes, while ABARES put it at 13.4 mln tonnes in its February report. It is a bumper crop, testing storage and port logistics, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported.
Overall quality is very good, with a high percentage of M1 barley. Also Australian malt will be competitive again in world markets, after the problematic crop year 2015/16. Barley supplies of all grades will be available to fill all Asian demand plus any interest beyond the Pacific area, industry observers believe.
Reported new Australian barley crop sales to China amount to 1.3/1.4 mln tonnes of malting/FAQ and 1.0 mln tonnes of feed barley.