Australia & China: Australia ships first cargo of barley to China since tariff lift

Australia has shipped the first barley cargo to China since tariffs imposed in 2020 were lifted earlier this month, the country's minister for agriculture said on August 29, Reuters reported.

China ended anti-dumping tariffs on Australian barley earlier this month, roughly three years after the 80.5% duties first dented exports once worth up to A$1.5 billion ($967 million) annually and led Canberra to file a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"It's terrific to have heard that overnight the first shipment has been dispatched from Kwinana and its gradually working its way towards China," Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt said at a news conference on August 29.

The chief of grain exporter CBH Group said the shipment was roughly 55,000 tons of Maximus barley, a malt variety.

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