India may import malt barley from Australia

With the Indian government removing a critical phytosanitary requirement, India may import malt barley from Australia. These alterations pertain to regarding the use of phosphine, Australia’s major means of controlling pests in stored grain. (Formerly, India required the grain be treated with methyl bromide, another grain treatment product.) Now barley can be fumigated with phosphine in accordance with the Australian standards.

Consequently, the industry experts are estimating that Australian trade to India could be in excess of 500,000 tonnes in the near term. This will also give the opportunity to Australia to export its product to markets other than China. As for India, it will open doors for malt barley imports, besides Argentina & Canada.

“We have been in talks with one business who has said they have negotiations in place to sell 60,000 tonnes of malt barley to India, contingent on the right protocols being in place,” Grain Producers Australia (GPA) Chairman Andrew Weidemann said.