December 14, 2007
US barley scores big in Japan
US barley producers received the largest market share in Japan due in large part to US Grains Council programmes, according to Cary Sifferath, US Grains Council director in Japan.
Sifferath said this is only the second tender for food barley, but notes significant growth from the first-ever tender held in May. Specifically, the second food barley tender amounted to 3,280 tonnes with 1,850 tonnes imported from the United States, compared to 420 tonnes on May 31, 2007. The US acquired 56 percent of the total food barley tender.
According to Sifferath, the 1,850 tonnes of US barley was the high beta-glucan food barley variety, Salute, grown in Idaho under contract specifically for the Japanese market in the United States this year. It is expected that the US food barley will be shipped in mid-December in containers for a late January or early February arrival here in Japan. The total amount of US food barley will go to three different food barley processors.
While food barley is a relatively new concept in terms of the SBS (simultaneous buy and sell) programme, Japan has been using SBS for feed barley imports since 1999. The sixth SBS feed barley tender for 2007 was held December 5, 2007 while actual tendered quantities were 249,875 tonnes of feed barley. Based on conversations with Japanese trade and the Council's Tokyo office, it is estimated that 132,000 tonnes were US origin feed barley, giving the United States approximately 53 percent of the total tender purchases by Japanese buying groups. Australia, Canada and China are all players in the SBS tender.
In looking at all six of the SBS feed barley tenders in 2007, USGC/Tokyo estimates that 490,010 tonnes of US feed barley was sold accounting for around 44 percent of all feed barley purchased within the SBS feed barley tenders of 2007. The first SBS feed barley tender of 2008 should take place sometime in February. Sifferath said US barley growers working with the Council are responsible for the increased interest in US barley.
