China drives Canada’s highest barley exports in five years

Canadian barley exports in the 2025/26 marketing year have reached their highest level in five years, largely driven by strong demand from China. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, barley exports totaled 3.26 mln tons as of July 19, up 1.4 mln tons from the same period of the previous marketing year.

Notably, China has been the main driver behind the increase. While imports of Canadian canola remained limited due to punitive tariffs, Chinese buyers significantly increased barley purchases, pushing imports to their highest level in five years.

Overall, Canadian exports of grains, oilseeds, and pulses reached 49.2 mln tons by July 19. Despite lower shipments of canola, soybeans, and oats, strong barley exports helped Canada maintain a solid pace of overseas sales.

Analysts note that after a difficult start to the season, Canadian grain exports have rebounded significantly over the past several months. This has reduced ending stocks of several major crops and is providing support to the market ahead of the new harvest.

At the same time, Canada continues to expand its wheat exports. Shipments of non-durum wheat reached 22.2 mln tons as of July 19, up 597.5 thsd tons from a year earlier. This puts Canada on track to set a new wheat export record for the 2025/26 marketing year, despite expectations of higher ending stocks.

Tags: Canada, China, export, barley