World: China’s malting barley needs for early/mid-2021 still look fairly open

China had bought much Australian malting barley before the shutdown of its traditional procurement channel. Therefore Chinese buyers have secured mostly feed barley in the past months, their malting barley needs for early/mid-2021 must be fairly open, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported earlier in November.

In most markets of the world much malting barley has been sold into the domestic and export feed sector. Maltsters and brewers banked on ever lower prices, they abstained from markets. The malting barley premium dropped to almost zero in the past months.

Open demand is reported from China, but also from the EU. The question is how much malting barley of crop 2020 can still be bought and at what price, when the demand wakes up.