UK: The total barley area now stands at 1.1 million ha, marginally down on the provisional number. Winter barley accounts for 0.5 million ha and spring barley 0.6 million ha, HGCA released on January 26. However, the lower area has been exacerbated by lower yields for both winter and spring barley.
The net result is for the total barley crop to be placed at 6.4 million tonnes, down 0.2 million tonnes on the provisional estimate. Of this, winter barley accounts for 2.9 million and spring barley 3.5 million tonnes. Defra have revised down both the winter and spring production by 0.1 million tonnes. Of the winter crop, England accounts for 2.4 million tonnes and Scotland 0.4 million tonnes, while spring production is at 1.7 million tonnes and 1.6 million tonnes respectively.
Based on a total barley crop of 6.4 million tonnes, the UK exportable barley surplus should be in the region of just under 1 million tonnes. By the end of October 2003 the UK had exported 0.47 million tonnes.
In the Scottish context, HGCA point out that almost 30% of the spring barley crop is destined for the malting barley market. Prices for malting barley, however, have been largely unrewarding for farmers since 1996, when the market hit a peak of Ј150 per tonne before sliding down progressively to little better than Ј70 per tonne in 2002. The 2003 harvest saw prices improve significantly, though grain was traded at little better than Ј80 per tonne.
30 January, 2004
