China Increases Sorghum and Barley Imports as Domestic Feed Corn Supply Tightens

Chinese buyers have significantly increased purchases of U.S. sorghum and Australian barley as domestic corn supply tightened after heavy rains affected the autumn harvest in northern China. According to Reuters, importers booked at least 2.5 million metric tons of U.S. sorghum over the previous three months, around three times the volume shipped in all of 2025. Chinese buyers were also taking about one million metric tons of Australian barley per month since December, roughly double last year’s monthly level.

The rise in alternative feed grain imports was driven by high domestic corn prices and competitive overseas prices. Reuters reported that prolonged rainfall had damaged parts of the domestic corn crop, reducing feed-use quality in some areas, while sorghum and barley were attractive because they are not subject to the same import quota and high out-of-quota tariffs as corn.

For feed producers and raw material traders, the shift highlights the importance of flexible grain sourcing and formulation adjustment when domestic feed grain quality or price becomes unstable. It also shows how weather, import policy, and global price competitiveness can quickly reshape feed ingredient flows.

Source:
Reuters, “China buyers snap up U.S. sorghum, Australian barley as domestic corn supply tightens,” February 12, 2026.