HAMBURG – Saudi Arabian private buyers have purchased 330,000 tons of feed barley of optional origin thought likely to be sourced from Argentina and Australia, European traders said. Price was between $335 and $340 a ton cost and freight depending on Saudi port of discharge. The grain was for shipment in December 2012 and January 2013, traders said. The Black Sea region is traditionally Saudi Arabia's main supplier of feed grains. But crops in Russia and Ukraine were seriously damaged by a summer drought and heatwave this summer, cutting supplies for grain exports. “It looks like Saudi buyers will be compelled to buy from much further afield in the next few months,” a trader said.
“They have already bought a lot in west Europe.” Another trader said: “The Saudis offered about $330 a ton for October shipment in the Black Sea market and could not get anything like the volumes offered from Argentina and Australia.”
“Argentine barley export selling prices have risen by about $4 a ton in the last two days to $299 a ton for December/January shipment so it seems possible that some of this business is being placed there.” An earlier report from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said Saudi domestic barley consumption in 2012/2013 is forecasted to decline by 9 percent to 6.3 million MT compared to about 7 million in 2011/2012 due to mainly the recent introduction of feed grade wheat that is being used as a barley substitute in the feed ration. Traditionally, white barley has been the preferred animal feed and approximately 80 percent of imported barley is used in feeding sheep, camels, and goats, especially when pasture conditions are poor and barley prices are lower than other feed products. Future barley consumption in Saudi Arabia is expected to fluctuate based on its price competitiveness compared to other feed alternatives such as feed grade wheat, processed feed and other feed alternatives such as forage. For example, if a price of 50 kg of barley is higher than the barley domestically produced feed concentrates of the same weight, a large number of livestock farmers switch to feed concentrates. The barley shortage in 2010/2011 compelled large number of domestic livestock farmers particularly camels, sheep and goats farmers to switch to a locally manufactured processed feed known as Wafi. The product, which was introduced in 2007 by ARASCO, the leading animal feed producer in Saudi Arabia, is marketed as a complete animal feed consisting of cereals, wheat bran, soybean meal, molasses, alfalfa, minerals and vitamins. Currently, 50 kg of Wafi is sold at $11.20 and a MT for $224 at ARASCO's distribution facilities. The Saudi government terminated its domestic barley production subsidy program in 2003 which brought to an end a two decade long domestic commercial barley production. Currently, 25,000 metric tons of barley is produced domestically for human consumption. Saudi Arabia's barley imports for 2012/2013 is forecasted to decrease by 9 percent to 6.5 million MT compared 7.2 million MT in 2011/2012 mainly due to the expected increase in feed grade wheat imports. Saudi Arabia, which remained the largest feed barley importers in the world, has been importing more than 7.5 million MT annually for the past several years, the report said. The MOF in 2011/2012 signed contracts with several major former barley importers to pack imported barley and distribute it to end users under MOF's direct supervision. This new approach resulted in an efficient distribution of imported barley and facilitated in the resumption of barley imports to meet the high domestic demand for barley. In 2011/2012 the MOF signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine Minister of Agriculture for long term supply of barley. Even though the MOF has not released detailed information on the Saudi-Ukraine long term barley supply contract, domestic newspapers indicated that Saudi Arabia has options to import up to 7 million MT of grains mostly barley from Ukraine. Ukraine, which has been the dominant barley supplier to Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, commenced some feed grade wheat exports to Saudi Arabia in TY2011. Barley ending stock in 2012/2013 is forecasted to increase by 37 percent compared to stock level in 2010/2011 due to the increase in barley imports and to the increase of consumption of feed grade wheat as well as processed animal feed such as Wafi. MOF aims at maintaining more than three months of total barley domestic consumption as a strategic reserve. In 2008, the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Saudi Arabia's animal feed policy that included a 50 percent reduction in barley imports by 2015. To achieve this goal, the government announced in 2008 a decision to include 17 energy and protein rich animal feed ingredients in its long-standing imported animal feed subsidy program. Prior to 2008, the Saudi government paid import subsidies for only imports of yellow corn, soybean meal and barley. Since 2008, the government has revised the imported animal feed subsidy list four times. The most recent amendment to the imported animal feed subsidy was announced on July 27, 2011 which increased subsidies paid on imported several animal feed by 100 percent. The list included 31 animal feed ingredients of which 14 were new feed ingredients such as Dried Distillers Grain with Soluble (DDGS), and Corn Gluten Feed (CGF). According to the July 2011 Saudi imported feed decree, the imported animal feed receives rebates which range between $49.33 and $202.13 per metric ton, depending on the feed type based on the energy and protein contents of each feed ingredient. This means, the higher the protein and energy levels a feed ingredient contains, the more subsidy the Saudi government pays for the import of that particular feed ingredient. – SG/Reuters
