Russia & Saudi Arabia: Russia becomes No.1 barley supplier to Saudi Arabia

Ukraine lost its longtime dominance of the Saudi Arabian imported barley market to Russia in 2017-18, according to a Aug. 14 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to the report, Russia exported 2.11 million tonnes of barley to Saudi Arabia, which accounted for a market share of 28.7%. Ukraine shipped 1.75 million tonnes for a 23.7% market share.

The previous year, Ukraine sent 2.24 million tonnes of barley to Saudi Arabia for a 30% share of the market, while Russia was a distant second at 1.10 million tonnes and a 14.3% market share.

Total Saudi Arabia barley imports for 2017-18 are forecast at about 8 million tonnes, roughly the same as is projected for 2018-19.

Saudi Arabia is perennially among the world’s leading importers of barley. In 2017-18, only China had more imports with 8.2 million tonnes, according to the USDA.

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