Today (Sept. 4th), the market for grains in China is shown as follows:

Corn: Domestic corn price stays stable with small fluctuations in part of regions today. The price prevails at 2,000-2,070 yuan/tonne among deep-processing enterprises in Shandong with some adjustment at 10-30 yuan/tonne from yesterday. At Jinzhou port, Liaoning, corn with 14.5% moisture and test weight 680-700 g/L is steady at 1,870 yuan/tonne. At Bayuquan port, old corn is priced steadily at 1,830 yuan/tonne (test weight 690-700 g/L and moisture 14.5%) from yesterday, and new corn is quoted at 1,850 yuan/tonne down by 10 yuan/tonne from yesterday. At Shekou port, Guangdong, the second-class corn is steadily traded at 1,960-1,970 yuan/tonne from yesterday.

The volume of Shandong corn arriving has been cut down due to continuously decreasing prices. And the price rebounds several after sessions of declines today. But the marketing of domestic new corn will speed up after mid-September in Northen China.?Besides, traders in Northeastern China have been holding adequate stockpiles in hand, and port stocks rise from a low level, so the market supply side is still under pressure. On the other side, deep-processing enterprises mainly rely on consuming their stockpiles, and the hog herd declines to a low level under the lingering African swine fever, so the demand for feed goes down, which is to lead enterprises to buy on immediate demand. Therefore, the market is still curbed by weak fundamental pressure. And the overall weak trend of corn market will continue.

Imported sorghum prices keep steady today. (U.S. sorghum: raw sorghum is 2,220 yuan/tonne in Tianjin, not offered for out of stock in Shanghai, Nantong, Zhangjiagang, and 2,200 yuan in Guangdong; Australian sorghum: raw sorghum is 2,450 yuan/tonne in Tianjin and out of stock in Shanghai, Qingdao and Nantong, and dried sorghum is 2,550 yuan/tonne in Tianjin and out of stock in Qingdao).

Domestic sorghum prices stay stable today. In Inner Mongolia, raw sorghum is 2,200 and dried sorghum is 2,300 yuan/tonne in Hinggan League; raw sorghum is not offered and dried sorghum 2,320 in Chifeng; and dried sorghum 2,200 in Tongliao. In Jilin Province, dried sorghum is 2,300 yuan/tonne in Changchun; raw sorghum sacks and dried sorghum with loading are 2,200 yuan/tonne in Songyuan; sorghum is out of stock in Baicheng; and raw sorghum and dried sorghum sacks are 1,900 and 1,980 yuan/tonne in Taonan. In Heilongjiang Province, dried sorghum with loading is 2,080 yuan/tonne in Qiqihar; dried sorghum with loading is 2,300 yuan/tonne in Daqing, and raw sorghum is 1,900 yuan/tonne and dried sorghum is 2,040 yuan in Heihe. In Shanxi Province, raw sorghum is 2,100 yuan/tonne in Yuncheng, bulk dried sorghum with freight is 2,440 yuan/tonne in Jinzhong, and raw sorghum with freight and dried sorghum with loading are 1,960 and 2,160 yuan/tonne in Xinzhou. 

Imported barley prices remain unchanged today. (Australian barley: raw sorghum is out of stock in Qingdao and bulk raw sorghum is 2,200 yuan/tonne in Nantong; Canadian barley: raw barley is 1,870 yuan/tonne and for brewing is out of stock in Nantong, and raw sorghum is 1,920 yuan/tonne at Qingdao port; French barley: raw barley is 2,100 yuan/tonne at Qingdao port and 1,850 yuan/tonne in Nantong; Ukrainian barley: raw sorghum is 1,760 yuan/tonne in Guangdong; Kazakhstan barley: raw barley is 2,100 yuan/tonne at Tianjin port and 1,580-1,620 yuan/tonne at Alashankou pass, Xinjiang).

Domestic barley price is flat today: it is 1,850 yuan/tonne in Heilongjiang. 

Importers with storage in hand are propping up prices on account of low barley inventories at ports and stubbornly high cost of Australian barley. However, sorghum price is now dragged down by weak demand due to falling corn prices.Meanwhile, port sorghum and barley have lost their price advantage against corn as its energy feed substitutes. Besides, the African swine fever has roiled the original trend of hog breeding cycle in China. Small and medium-size farms have withdrawn from the market and quickened the elimination of breeding sow since the first outbreak last year, and the pig amount has fiercely cut in those provinces reported with more outbreaks. Thus, it will be hard for farmers to rebuild confidence in short time under the heavy blow of the ASF, so that the hog and sow amount has been decreasing. Given this, grain market will be curbed by its later consumption. Generally, port sorghum and barley markets are predicted to keep steady with some fluctuations in the short term, and port sorghum market may be buoyed again by concerns over trade disputes, so market participants can focus on the outcome of trade talks.