Vessel shortage curbs Saudi barley imports – USDA attache

According to Saudi importers, the decrease in barley imports thus far for this marketing year was caused by a shortage of vessels that are either lined up to load commodities to China or are waiting at Chinese ports to unload cargoes.

Nov 8 (Reuters) – Following are selected highlights from a report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service post in Riyadh:

“Saudi Arabia’s barley imports for the first six months of MY2021/22 (July – Dec. 2021) is estimated at 2.8 million metric tons (MMT), a reduction of 30 percent compared to the same period last year. According to local importers, the decrease in barley imports thus far for this marketing year was caused by a shortage of vessels that are either lined up to load commodities to China or are waiting at Chinese ports to unload cargoes.

“The shortage has significantly affected barley imports to Saudi Arabia as well increase the overall price. In recent months, the C&F barley price increased from $US260/MT in August to $US340/MT at the end of October. As a result of several factors, Post’s current projection for total Saudi barley imports for MY2021/22 is 5.5 MMT, down 21 percent compared to the USDA official estimate of 7 MMT.”

To read the full report, click here.

Source: producer.com