U.S. sorghum exports are picking up momentum, with shipments and sales moving faster than what is currently reflected in government reporting. Recent commercial activity shows sorghum moving aggressively into export channels, even as official data remains roughly two weeks behind real-time trade flows.
As of mid-December, an estimated 1.46 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. sorghum had already shipped for the marketing year. Total export purchases and commitments are now approaching 2.0 MMT, with expectations that the number will move higher as delayed reporting catches up.
Most of the recent activity has been tied to China and “unknown” destinations that are widely believed to be China, reinforcing continued demand for U.S. sorghum. This pace of movement should begin to show up more clearly in Gulf basis levels, with values recently hovering near 106% of the price of corn.
What National Sorghum will be watching next: Additional export sales are expected to appear in upcoming government reports as reporting timelines catch up to market reality.
