Oriental Brewery Co. (OB), one of South Korea's leading breweries, purchased 20,000 tonnes of malt from Australia, reported price US $ 295,- CIF in bulk in container, and 10,000 tonnes from Canada at around US $ 310,-/315,- CIF.

Japan covered all or part of its Australian volume, prices were apparently in a wide range around US $ 260,-/270,- FOB in bulk in container.

The market gives varying reports on the purchases of Beer Thai. EU sales were anywhere from 60.000 to 100.000 tons, two-row barley malt at € 250,-/260,- CIF in bulk, in 20’ and 40’ container, six-row winter barley malt at € 10,- less. Australia is still negotiating.

Boon Rawd has covered 20.000 tons from Europe, also two-row malt, at prices around US $ 320,- CIF.

No result is known of the tender for 29.000 tons in Taiwan.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted on November 14 its latest estimations for 2004-2005 barley trade. According to USDA EU-25 barley exports were estimated with 500,000 tonnes more to 3.5 million tonnes thanks to very strong shipments in recent months. Russia barley export is raised nearly 200,000 tonnes to 1.488 million on year-end trade data.

Japan barley imports are estimated by USDA at 1.522 million tonnes, the highest in 5 years, with year-end trade data, up nearly 200,000 tonnes compared to the October’s estimations. A smaller change was made to the 05/06 estimate. Saudi Arabia barley imports are estimated up 500,000 tonnes to 6.5 million with very strong late-season shipments from Ukraine and Russia.

Malting barley imports during Jan/September were 1.739 million tonnes, of which 186,000 tonnes in September. Origins were Canada 561,000 tonnes, Australia 1,005,000 tonnes and France 156,000 tonnes. It looks, as if imports during this calendar year will surpass the 2 million tonnes mark, analysts said.

The decrease in hop acreage led to a corresponding decrease in hop supply. The production volume was additionally reduced due to unfavourable weather conditions, according to The Barth Report of first half of 2005. Prices for hops from crop year 2004 were two to three times higher than those for the 2003 crop, which brought them back to normal levels. Farms were paid prices of 12 to 13 renminbi/kg for Tsingdao Flower hops. This corresponds to approx. 1.20 to 1.30 EUR/kg.

In mid-April, some 900 mt of hops (approx. 50 mt alpha) from crop year 2004 and previous crop years remained unsold. When the 2004 harvest began, the quantity of unsold hops from crop year 2003 and previous years is said to have been as much as 3,500 mt.

There will be a slight increase in acreage again in 2005. This increase will be in the region of 250 ha.