Saudi Arabia: Barley Trade Quarterly
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Saudi Arabia’s MY 2020/21 barley imports are estimated at 6.2 Million Metric Tons (MMT), 18 percent below the USDA official estimate of 7.6 MMT. In November 2020, the Saudi government decreed to hand back the barley imports and distribution business to the private sector to purchase and sell barley at competitive prices. This trade liberalization is expected to take place at the end of March 2021. As a result, Post anticipates Saudi Arabia will significantly reduce the quantity of imported barley. Meanwhile, Saudi’s revisions to its animal feed subsidy program in January 2020 policy is expected to also have a major impact on U.S. barley exports.