Today (Oct 30), the market for grains in China is shown as follows:

Corn:

Corn prices in China continue rising today. And the average price is 2,461 CNY/tonne nationwide, up 7 CNY/tonne from yesterday. The price among deep-processing enterprises in Shandong prevails at 2,520-2,640 CNY/tonne with a further rise of 10-40 CNY/tonne compared to yesterday. At Jinzhou port, Liaoning, the purchasing price of 2020 new corn with volume weight of 720 g/L (moisture within 15%, impurity with 1%, mildew with 2%) is 2,535 CNY/tonne, up 15 CNY/tonne from yesterday. At Bayuquan port, Liaoning, new corn of 2020 with volume weight of 720 g/L (moisture within 15%, impurity with 1%, mildew with 2%) is priced at 2,530 CNY/tonne, an increase of 10 CNY/tonne from yesterday. At Guangdong port, Grade-II old corn price remains at 2,580-2,600 CNY/tonne. Tiancheng Group in Siping, Jilin offers the price of Grade-III new corn steadily at 2,360 CNY/tonne. The purchasing price of Grade-III new corn offered by Longfeng company in Suihua Qinggang, Heilongjiang is 2,200 CNY/tonne, unchanged from yesterday.

China’s corn market supply tightens due to a production reduction in main producing regions, coupled with reducing corn released under policies, so traders are bullish about the market outlook and have strong sentiment to hoard corn. So far, the overall sales progress has been slow across the country. Further processing enterprises in northeast China are relying on their stocks. And feed manufacturers tend to stock up feedstocks due to continuous rises in feedstock prices and as feed production has been seeing steady growth for months with a relatively huge increase in September. Hence, domestic corn market is supported by bullish fundamentals at present. Besides, on Oct 30, there are 340 trucks waiting to get unloaded in earlier morning in Shandong Province, a decline of 85 trucks from yesterday and 499 trucks from last week. In this case, some enterprises raise the purchasing price as marketing volume can’t meet the processing volume, with an another increase of 10-30 CNY/tonne. Farmers are willing to sell corn stocks in hand after seeing widening profit margins as prices jump to the high level.

Chinese government is projected to grant more import quota in the new crop year and buy millions of tonnes of corn, said an industry source familiar with the matter. China has ordered the purchase of 12 mln tonnes of corn from U.S., 5 mln tonnes of corn originating in other countries including Ukraine, in accordance with the quota approved. Therefore, corn imports are expected to increase, limiting market’s bullish sentiment. On the whole, corn prices may keep steady with little fluctuations in the cash market in the short run. But the overall corn prices will stay strong at the high level in a long term, and participant can pay attention to new corn sales and sales mentality.

Sorghum:

New domestic sorghum prices are flat today. Domestic sorghum production reduces this year due to smaller planting area and typhoons, so that its starting prices stay at a historical high and farmers tend to hoard crops and prop up prices. Markets in main producing provinces of Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Jilin have strong sentiment for higher prices. Moreover, distillery owners have to make purchases for daily requirements. These combine to drive sorghum prices to continue rises.

Imported sorghum prices are flat in China today. Market participants are concerned that escalating U.S.-China tensions could affect future imports of sorghum. Moreover, new U.S. sorghum crops are still under harvests, and the cost of importing sorghum is also strengthening due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, domestic holders now have small stocks of Australian sorghum amid tensions between China and Australia. However, imported sorghum stocks at Guangdong ports still total 274,000 tonnes as of Oct 23. And an expected rise in sorghum arrivals will probably weigh down US sorghum prices in China. Participants can focus on US-China relations.

Barley:

Imported barley prices steady today and the nationwide average stays at 2,073 CNY/tonne. China has halted barley imports from Australia’s largest grain exporter whose shipments were found with pests on multiple occasions, further disrupting barley trade between these two nations. Moreover, some domestic feed manufacturers also start using barley as corn prices remain high, which also bolsters barley prices. Merely, imported barley stocks totaled 648,000 tonnes at Guangdong ports as of Oct 23. While there will be vessels arriving gradually in coming months, the overall demand remains weak, which will be negative to the market. In addition, barley shipments from Argentina, Canada and France have been flowing toward China as a conflict between China and Australia reshapes global trade pattern, which is also undermining domestic barley market. Overall, imported barley prices are predicted to stay stable in China.

(USD $1=CNY ¥6.72)