# EXCLUSIVE: China buyers snap up U.S. sorghum, Australian barley as domestic corn supply tightens | Reuters

> Chinese buyers have booked about 45 cargoes (at least 2.5 million tons) of U.S. sorghum over three months, triple all of 2025 shipments. They are also taking about one million tons of Australian barley monthly since December after rain damaged China's domestic corn harvest.

- Date: 2026-02-12 · published 2026-02-12T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: trade · region China · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/20650-exclusive-china-buyers-snap-up-u-s-sorghum-australian-barley-as-domestic-corn
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Sorghum](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SORGHUM.md), [Barley](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARLEY.md)

## Why it matters

Heavy Chinese demand for sorghum and barley as corn substitutes supports export prices for these feed grains and could pull corn import demand toward alternatives.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bullish ▲
- BARLEY: bullish ▲
- SORGHUM: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-03-10 | [China props up U.S. corn, soy exports as other buyers stay quieter than usual](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14854-china-props-up-u-s-corn-soy-exports-as-other-buyers-stay-quieter-than-usual.md) | +1.2% | +0.7% |
| CORN | 2018-11-12 | [Barley weakens, corn grows as Australia remembers the fallen - Grain Central](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62113-barley-weakens-corn-grows-as-australia-remembers-the-fallen-grain-central.md) | -6.7% | +0.1% |
| CORN | 2020-07-14 | [China books record U.S. corn purchase, also buys soybeans \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51978-china-books-record-u-s-corn-purchase-also-buys-soybeans-reuters.md) | -1.1% | -3.2% |
| CORN | 2021-03-19 | [China tariff on Australia's barley reshapes global trade - Nikkei Asia](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12404-china-tariff-on-australia-s-barley-reshapes-global-trade-nikkei-asia.md) | +11.4% | +14.1% |
| CORN | 2019-03-25 | [China Purchases U.S. Sorghum, Corn as Trade Talks Continue \| DRGNews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59966-china-purchases-u-s-sorghum-corn-as-trade-talks-continue-drgnews.md) | -5.0% | -5.6% |

## Sources

- agriculture.com: https://www.agriculture.com/partners-china-buyers-snap-up-u-s-sorghum-australian-barley-as-domestic-corn-supply-tightens-11905238
- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-buyers-snap-up-us-sorghum-australian-barley-domestic-corn-supply-tightens-2026-02-12/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.