World: Despite lower production, barley prices tend to decline

Despite forecasts of low global production, feed and malting barley prices have fallen due to weakness in the overall grain market, led by weakness in wheat and corn markets. The global economic outlook has led to a decline in beer consumption, impacting malt and malting barley consumption. France remains the highest-priced source, while Australia is the lowest-cost source. The USDA has reduced the estimate of world production for the new 2024/25 campaign to 141.8 million tons, a value below the previous campaign's harvest. There is a slight drop in world trade, with a significant decrease in exports from Europe and the Black Sea region. Australia's harvest is underway and initial data is optimistic regarding yield in the south of the country. Argentina's harvest has begun and the area planted with barley for the 2024/25 campaign is estimated to be 1,200,000 ha.

(NAP) Despite forecasts of low global production, feed and malting barley prices have fallen due to weakness in the overall grain market. The decline is again supported by weakness in other grain markets, primarily wheat and corn. The weakened global economic outlook has led to a decline in global beer consumption with a consequent impact on malt and malting barley consumption. France remains the highest-priced source, although trending downward, and Australia is the lowest-cost source, with Canada and Argentina in between. Lower global demand offset lower winter barley production in Europe. Malthouses have sufficient stocks and feed demand is limited, making lower production and low final stocks expected to go unnoticed. Today, the focus is on the completion of the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina and Australia) harvest, which appears to be on schedule. and in the sowing of European barley for 2025 with a possible reduction in surface area. From a commercial point of view, the ...