Today (Sept. 19th), the market for grains in China is shown as follows:

Domestic corn price stays stable with slight adjustment in some regions today. The price prevails at 2,000-2,070 yuan/tonne among deep-processing enterprises in Shandong with some declines by 10-20 yuan/tonne from yesterday. At Jinzhou port, Liaoning, corn with 14.5% moisture and test weight over 700 g/L is steady at 1,850 yuan/tonne from yesterday. At Bayuquan port, new corn in 2019 is priced at 1,800 yuan/tonne (test weight 720-730 g/L and moisture within 15%), while old corn in 2018 is priced at 1,800-1,840 yuan/tonne. At Shekou port, Guangdong, the second-class corn is steadily traded at 1,990 yuan/tonne from yesterday.

The auction rate of corn is 7.41% which still stays at a low level this week. Besides, a small quantity of new corn has gone marketing in part of Liaoning, and traders in Northeast China still hold stockpiles in hand. Moreover, the marketing of new corn in North China will speed up after mid-September, so new corn is in adequate supply. But some enterprises will make proper replenishment before the National Day holiday, which may support the prices. Corn prices are mostly stable with slight decline by 10 yuan/tonne today and will mainly stay stable with small adjustments before the National Day holiday. Participants can keep focusing on marketing of new corn and the influence of frost on production in Northeast China.

Imported sorghum prices stay stable today. (U.S. sorghum: raw sorghum is 2,220 yuan/tonne and dried sorghum is 2,340 yuan/tonne at Tianjin port, and raw sorghum is not offered for out of stock in Shanghai, 2,200 yuan in Nantong, not offered in Zhangjiagang, and 2,150 yuan in Guangdong; Australian sorghum: bulk raw sorghum is 2,380-2,400 yuan/tonne and dried sorghum is 2,480-2,500 yuan/tonnein Tianjin, and both out of stock in Shanghai, Qingdao and Nantong and Guangdong).

Domestic sorghum prices keep steady today. In Inner Mongolia, raw sorghum and dried sorghum are not offered in Hinggan League; raw sorghum is not offered and dried sorghum is 2,340 in Chifeng; and dried sorghum is not offered in Tongliao. In Jilin Province, dried sorghum is not offered in Changchun; raw sorghum sacks and dried sorghum with loading are not offered in Songyuan; sorghum is out of stock in Baicheng; and raw sorghum and dried sorghum sacks are not offered in Taonan. In Heilongjiang Province, dried sorghum with loading is 2,160 yuan/tonne in Qiqihar; dried sorghum with loading is2,300 yuan/tonne in Daqing, and raw sorghumand dried sorghum are not offered in Heihe. In Shanxi Province, raw sorghum is not offered in Yuncheng, bulk dried sorghum with freight is not offered in Jinzhong, and raw sorghum with freight and dried sorghum with loading are not offered in Xinzhou. 

Imported barley prices remain unchanged today. (Australian barley: raw sorghum is out of stock in Qingdao and Tianjin and bulk raw sorghum is2,190 yuan/tonne in Nantong; Canadian barley: raw barley is1,890 yuan/tonne and for brewing is out of stock in Nantong, and raw sorghum is not offeredat Qingdao port; French barley: raw barley is not offered at Qingdao port and 1,820 yuan/tonne in Nantong; Ukrainian barley: raw sorghum is 1,750 yuan/tonne in Nantong and 1,750 yuan/tonne in Guangdong; Kazakhstan barley: raw barley is not offered at Tianjin port and 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.