China may import Brazilian sorghum as early as 2025

Brazil’s first sorghum shipments to China could be loaded as early as this year, a Brazilian agriculture ministry official said, offering Chinese buyers an alternative source after years of relying on the United States.

The development comes as U.S.–China relations have sharply deteriorated amid trade tariffs, sending U.S. sorghum exports to China plummeting.

“We’ve watched Brazil become a formidable competitor in other commodities, and this move into sorghum is deeply troubling,” said Craig Meeker, a Kansas farmer and former president of the U.S. sorghum producers’ group. “American growers spent 15 years building a relationship with China as a reliable, quality supplier, and we don’t underestimate the potentially devastating impact this could have on our market.”

China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) has informed Brazil that its sorghum is “fit” for export, Eduardo Porto Magalhães, head of international phytosanitary inspection and certification at the ministry, said Tuesday in an interview.

His comments follow a visit by a Chinese delegation in early August to meet with Brazilian sorghum growers. China first opened its market to Brazilian sorghum last year during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Brasília.

“The next steps are registering Brazilian companies — exporters and producers that intend to ship to China. We’ve already completed a first round of registrations and will now submit them to Chinese authorities,” Magalhães said.

The first shipments could leave Brazil for China within 60 days, he added.

Brazil’s sorghum and corn growers’ group, Abramilho, had said in August that they did not expect the current harvest to be shipped to China. The GACC was not immediately available for comment.

U.S. sorghum exports to China between January and July totaled just 82,323 metric tonnes, down 97% from the same period last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau trade data.

Brazil’s sorghum production has doubled in recent years, reaching 4.4 million tonnes in the 2023/24 season, according to the food supply agency Conab. Still, the country accounts for less than 1% of the global export market.

Producers are hopeful that Chinese demand will boost interest in the crop. “I believe export demand for sorghum will drive expansion of sorghum planting here in Brazil,” said Pedro Ottoni, director of the International Corn Alliance and a sorghum farmer who hosted the Chinese delegation. “Brazil will take on a leading role in global sorghum production,” he said.

Source: MSN

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