China: Barley production revised downwards by 2.3 mln tonnes this month

This month, China�s Supply and Demand balance sheets for sorghum and barley are revised to incorporate the revisions by China�s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In August, the NBS released revised area, yield, and production estimates for sorghum and barley from 2007/08 through 2017/18 based on its most recent agricultural census, USDA reported on September 12.

For sorghum, the NBS revision takes away a cumulative 4.6 million tons in production for the 10-year period. For barley, the revision removes a cumulative 2.3 million tons in production for the period. With substantial reductions in supply, total consumption in both categories - food, seed, industrial use as well as feed and residual use � are adjusted slightly lower, reflecting relatively strong demand at the time. Ending stocks fall lower on smaller production and this relatively strong use.

The magnitude of the revision appears significant for both sorghum and barley. However, the revision has little impact on supply and use for coarse grains (corn, barley, sorghum, oats, and rye) because corn is the largest and most commonly produced and used crop. Sorghum and barley combined account for only about 2 percent of coarse grain production and 5 percent of coarse grain use.