By Jennifer Balckburn, United Sorghum Checkoff

Demand from the export market reached historic levels this week with 16 million bushels of sorghum sold since last Wednesday, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Nov. 3 report. This is one of the highest recorded export sales of sorghum in one week.

Two months into the 2016/2017 marketing year, sorghum export commitments have reached 58 million bushels, representing 20 percent of USDA’s 2017 export projections. China is leading sorghum purchases with 40 million bushels — 70% of total U.S. grain sorghum exports. Meanwhile Mexico, has committed to 4 million bushels for the current marketing year, followed by Japan. Additional export customers include Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Nigeria.

“These sales continue to reflect China’s need for high quality feed ingredients,” said Florentino Lopez, Sorghum Checkoff executive director. “Maintaining and continuing to enhance and develop marketplaces is critical to helping farmers maximize their profit potential, and the Sorghum Checkoff and U.S. Grains Council remain engaged in current and future markets like China.”