EU: Malting barley markets are weaker, according to experts

Domestic and export demand is too small to sustain former price levels, market analysts have recently commented. Full usage of the malting capacity, which existed a few months ago, would have required 11 million tonnes of malting barley, but it looks now as if no more than 10 million tonnes will be needed for the crop year of 2005/06, and even less in the next campaign.

Malting barley markets shows large price differences between regions, which influence the flow of goods and also the structural development of the EU malting industry.