Romania. Pace of barley exports exceeds the previous two seasons

Despite the fact that in 2019 Romanian barley harvest was far from record (-16% compared to the 5-year average for the country), the first two months of 2019/20MY showed good export results.

According to the port data, in July-August 2019/20 Romania exported +66% of barley compared to the same period last season. Moreover, this volume was slightly higher than in 2017/18 (+3.6%). 

In July-August 2019/20 MY Saudi Arabia remained the top buyer of Romanian barley, but the purchases decreased by 23% compared to the same period last season due to overall lower import necessity of the country.

Second largest buyer is Spain. In 2019 Spanish barley crop is estimated 2 MMT lower y/y. This gives the idea that Spain might be an active barley importer throughout the whole 2019/20MY.

According to UkrAgroConsult’s September forecast, in 2019/20MY barley exports from Romania is seen slightly higher than last season, but -16% compared to the 5-year average.