![#](https://e-malt.com/Images/left_top_corner16x200.gif) | E-Malt.com News article: 1792
EU malt export licence bookings for July-October, 2003 are 1.265 million tonnes versus 775,000 tonnes at the same time last year. The comparison is distorted by panic bookings earlier in the campaign, this year's figures neither reflect sales done nor the pace of shipments.
Malt export shipments in 2002 had been more than 2.3 million tonnes, licence bookings during the grain year 2002/03 only 2.0 million tonnes. Maltsters are afraid that exports during 2003/04 may hardly reach the 2 million mark.
Sales to Russia, Japan, Brazil and Venezuela are lagging behind last year's figures. In the larger import markets malt prices have not recovered, since the dumping battle started two months ago. Prices around EUR 250,- FOB Antwerp, in bulk, for two-row spring barley malt and about EUR 5,- less for six-row winter barley malt, are so low that a good number of maltsters decided not to participate in a recent sales round. Those prices leave malting margins in the neighbourhood of only EUR 50,- per ton. One should imagine that the change in the Euro/U.S.$, parity played a major part in the difficulties to sell malt from the EU, but the major wounds were inflicted by competition amongst the Europeans themselves.
(in tonnes) | 2000 - 2001 | 2001 - 2002 | 2002 - 2003 | July 1, 2003 - October 28, 2003 | France | 523,190 | 701,134 | 661,772 | 412,150 | Germany | 305,980 | 468,314 | 408,063 | 161,018 | Belgium | 277,584 | 296,368 | 287,850 | 183,277 | U.K. | 254,793 | 350,621 | 294,995 | 317,574 | Finland | 65,550 | 91,890 | 100,758 | 42,932 | Denmark | 52,326 | 96,812 | 94,791 | 28,210 | Sweden | 50,847 | 101,000 | 76,916 | 43,596 | Netherlands | 54,835 | 51,310 | 66,219 | 49,721 | Ireland | 26,003 | 35,145 | 31,140 | 11,900 | Austria | 4,850 | 8,840 | 8,620 | 4,240 | Spain | 3,000 | 2,400 | 5,640 | 10,000 | Greece | 1,800 | 1,744 | 1,306 | 200 | Portugal | 340 | 221 | 85 | 219 | Italy | - | - | 2 | - | Total: | 1,621,098 | 2,205,799 | 2,038,157 | 1,265,037 |
| Total Wheat malt, tonnes | Total 2000/2001 | 4,686 | Total 2001/2002 | 12,805 | Total 2002/2003 | 30,908 | July 1/03 – October 28/03 | 2,750 | | | | Total Roasted malt, tonnes | Total 2000/2001 | 23,967 | Total 2001/2002 | 23,480 | Total 2002/2003 | 23,603 | July 1/03 – October 28/03 | 8,688 |
12 November, 2003
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