News

China purchase what U.S. sorghum’s been waiting for

China has made its first purchase of U.S. sorghum in more than a year, although a small one, as U.S. growers have been feeling the pain of losing the Chinese market.

United Sorghum Checkoff director Florentino Lopez told Brownfield Ag News at the recent Commodity Classic that although China was out, there were still export sales taking place, “We also still feel very strongly that the domestic market continues to pick up.”

Lopez said U.S. sorghum purchases have been made by Italy and Spain, which are going through a drought, “And although those are somewhat weather-related they still offer a marketplace today.”

Lopez said the sorghum export market normally picks up 30 to 50% of the total marketplace but since China’s been absent that’s not happened. He told Brownfield sorghum groups ARE confident China wants to buy, “We know that those end users as well as the merchandisers that we talk to in China very much wanting to source U.S. sorghum and feel comfortable in utilizing that U.S. sorghum.”

China has purchased 2-and-half Million bushels of U.S. sorghum. Sorghum’s total export sales are less than 35 million bushels – well below the more than 200 million bushels exported a year ago.

National Sorghum Producers Chairman Dan Atkisson, a sorghum farmer from Stockton, Kansas, released the following statement:

“This vessel purchase is great news for U.S. sorghum, and we are thrilled to see it on the books going into the 2019 planting season as hopefully a first of many. We look forward to returning to trade with our largest export partner, and we are encouraged by not only this sale but the reported 2.2 million bushel sale to Spain, as well. We believe today’s news is a direct result of meetings between our two nations’ leaders, and we appreciate both Administrations continuing to press forward to achieve a long-term agreement in U.S. and China trade relations.”

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