Barley stocks rising… but don’t say cheers just yet
By: JimOldfield
July 7th, 2016
Global barley production is about to rise say the latest estimates… but that may not result in cheers for the country’s brewers. Stocks are on the rise across key growing areas thanks to plentiful rain.
But the heavy rain may have hit quality in Europe, which could hit the availablility of high-quality grain for malting and brewing.
The latest forecast has world production at 145 million tonnes – a 3.1m tonne upgrade from last May.
And though the forecast for European barley yields has also improved, French farmers have lowered their estimate of the proportion of spring and winter barley in good or excellent condition, after too much rain and too little sun spread concerns about fungal disease and loss of quality.
