EU barley exports halve since the start of the new season

The European Union exported around 1.14 mln tons of barley between July 1 and August 23, 2026, down 51% from the same period last season, when shipments reached 2.32 mln tons. Barley has recorded the sharpest export decline among the EU’s major grains.

One of the main factors has been a sharp drop in Chinese demand. Since the start of the 2026/27 MY, China has imported only 83.1 thsd tons of EU barley, compared with 870.3 thsd tons a year earlier — almost 10.5 times less. China’s share of total EU barley exports fell from 37.5% to 7.3%.

Saudi Arabia has instead emerged as the largest buyer of EU barley, importing 608.5 thsd tons, or 53.4% of total shipments. Jordan increased its purchases to 207.9 thsd tons, accounting for another 18.3% of exports.

Romania remains by far the largest EU barley exporter, shipping 877.9 thsd tons, or 77.1% of the total. Bulgaria exported 104.2 thsd tons, France 82.7 thsd tons and Germany 66.7 thsd tons.

While barley exports have fallen sharply, EU corn imports have increased. Since the start of the season, imports rose 43.9% to 2.57 mln tons. Ukraine remains the largest supplier with 1.08 mln tons and a 42.2% share, while the US increased shipments 4.4-fold to 1.02 mln tons, almost matching Ukraine.