Barley
In Australia
1.
Introduction
Barley is a widely grown crop
(second in size only to wheat) and occupies a large geographic area – almost 4
million hectares – and it is dispersed from Western
Australia to southern Queensland .
Australia
is one of the top ten barley producing countries in the world. It produces high
quality 2-row spring type barley. The annual production averages around 6.6
million tonnes / year (source ABARE). Out of 6.6 million 2.5M metric tonnes is
malting barley and 4.1 metric tonnes is feed barley. Barley is used for stock
feed (often with other cereals) and malting for the production of alcoholic
drinks. For feed, barley must have high protein and starch content (for
intensive livestock production); for malting, it requires a lower protein
range, but also a low moisture content at harvest and a 95 per cent or more
germination capacity. Barley for malting is an important export commodity,
especially from South Australia ,
due in part to the fact that barley can be grown on the lighter and more
alkaline soils. Australia
has an enviable reputation for producing a reliable supply of high-quality,
contaminant-free barley that is sought after by the malting, brewing,
distilling, shochu and feed industries. Around 35-40% of our national crop is selected
as malt. Domestically, malting barley demand is around 850,000 tonnes per year
and Australian domestic feed use is around 2 million tonnes each year. On the
domestic front, locally-based brewers are tightly linked into Australia ’s
barley production and strong relationships exist between all facets of the
industry – from breeder to brewer and all stages in between. Australia is
comparatively export focussed with approximately 65% of the total barley crop
exported annually. Breaking that down to malt and feed barley, around 1.65
million tonnes of malt barley, and around 2.1 million tonnes of feed are also
exported each year. To put that in a global perspective Australia makes
up around 32% of the world’s malting barley trade and approximately 20% of the
world’s feed barley trade. On a production basis (as opposed to actual
inter-country trade), Australia
makes up around 5% of the world’s annual barley global production.