Indian malt companies to import 70,000-ton barley in Feb. Indian malt companies will import around 70,000 ton of barley in February from Argentina, of which 50,000 ton will be bought by United Breweries Ltd and the remaining 20,000 ton will be bought by Haryana-based Barmalt Malting India Ltd.

The coarse grain will be bought at $270-$280 per ton, cost and freight basis, and the shipment will reach Adani Port in Gujarat in the third week of February.

Imports of barley are likely to rise in 2019 because of strong demand from malt producers and a shortage of the coarse grain in the domestic market. Supplies in the domestic market are negligible due to low stocks with farmers, and the new crop will be available from March. Fall in acreage of the grain has also paved the way for imports.
Rabi barley area down 2.5% YoY at 723,987 ha. The area under barley crop this rabi season was down 2.5% on year at 723,987 ha. Tepid demand from malt makers and expectation of a rise in imports of the coarse grain led to lower sowing. In Rajasthan, acreage was down 3.2% on year at 316,400 ha.