AUSTRALIAN barley exports to China have continued apace, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures which show 249,659 tonnes of malting and 48,659t of feed was shipped in March.

While the total March tonnage of 298,319t is 22.5 per cent below the February-shipment figure of 384,891t, it shows Australian barley to its biggest market has been booked for delivery to China, which is in the midst of an anti-dumping investigation into the historical pricing of Australian barley.

Barley shipments to all export destinations also fell in March, with 423,816t shipped, down from 502,542t in February.

This is hardly surprising, given the steady flow of barley being freighted from South Australia and Western Australia to supply eastern states, where last year’s drought-hit crop has left maltsters and feed millers in deficit based on local stocks.

Sorghum exports also tell the tale of a hot and dry summer in New South Wales and Queensland, with a small crop produced which has left little for containerised shipments, and none for bulk to date.

Table 1: ABS export data for Australian malting barley shipped from October 2018 to March 2019.

Table 2: ABS export data for Australian malting barley shipped from October 2018 to March 2019.

Table 3: ABS export data for Australian sorghum shipped from October 2018 to March 2019.