Mercosur: Argentina’s exportable barley surplus could reach 3.9 mln tonnes

Argentina’s barley production is forecast at 5.1 mln tonnes in 2021/22, with a exportable surplus of about 3.9 mln tonnes of malting and feed barley, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported earlier in December.

In Brazil, the barley crop is seen at 300 thousand tonnes, leaving about 600 thousand tonnes of deficit to be imported from abroad.

Uruguay is expected to harvest 800 thousand tonnes, with 170 thousand tonnes of malting and feed barley as exportable surplus. The Uruguayan surplus number is valid under reserve of the timely operation start of the new 80,000 tonnes plant of MOSA.

Harvesting is virtually finished in Brazil, 75% done in Uruguay, but barely started in Argentina. Quality results are fair, yields and grain size are on the low side in Brazil and Uruguay.

In the crop year Dec/Nov 2020/21 Argentina shipped 1.6 mln tonnes of feed barley to China, Brazil/Colombia took 620 thousand tonnes of malting barley.

Licence fixations for exports in the new crop year are 1.6 mln tonnes of feed barley, all of it for China except one cargo to Saudi Arabia. Malting barley fixations of 350 thousand tonnes include 40 thousand to the USA. Argentina may still have an unsold surplus of approximately 1.8 mln tonnes of feed and malting barley.

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