Meet U.S. Malt Event Showcases Advantages, Quality Of U.S. Barley In China

To create a better understanding of the global and U.S. barley markets, the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) China office recently hosted a second Meet U.S. Malt webinar for barley importers, maltsters and brewers in the country.

Since 2019, the Council’s staff in China has actively looked for opportunities to promote U.S. barley malt in the rapidly growing Chinese craft beer industry. The market has a demand for quality and variety, but participants have had little familiarity with the advantages of U.S. barley before Council programming. The webinar was the organization’s initial step to create a barley program in the country, and it has now become an annual event.

During the program, Nathan Boll, USGC barley sector director and chairman of the North Dakota Barley Council, discussed his experiences in the field. Attendees also heard updates on U.S. barley market trends, export supply chain and global barley supply and demand.

The webinar welcomed approximately 120 attendees, many of whom expressed great interest in incorporating U.S. barley into their work.

“We are hoping to see big growth in planting acreage in the U.S. to have more barley available for the export market,” said Paul Huang, deputy general manager of Junjie, a feed raw materials trading company. “I now have a clearer sense of the global barley market because of the webinar, and I thank the Council for its efforts in promoting the barley trade between the U.S. and China.”

With the Chinese craft beer industry continuing to grow, the Council looks forward to sharing the benefits of U.S. barley with buyers and end-users in China.

“China is the biggest barley importer in the global market, and there are interests and demand for U.S. barley,” said Wennie Liu, USGC program manager in China. “We are hoping to generate more potential imports for U.S. barley and malt through our activities here, which allow end-users of the Chinese livestock and beer industries to gain a better understanding of the quality and current market situation for barley and malt.”