In 2002/03 Japan was the third largest barley importer in the world. Barley imports are still highly regulated by the Japanese government. Importers must be licensed, and they are allocated amounts to import each year. However, a more competitive system of import has recently been introduced under the Simultaneous Buy and Sell (SBS) tenders, which have led to greater competition between importers, and purchases from origins other than the established supply sources (Australia, USA and Canada). According to analysts’s forecasts, Japan will import about 2.2 million tones of barley in 2003/2004 versus 1.9 million tonnes in 2002/2003.

24 September, 2003