China harvest rains dent wheat quality and boost imports
Heavy rainfall in major Chinese wheat provinces has downgraded up to 7% of the harvest to animal feed grade. Analysts expect state buyers to increase imports of milling wheat later this year as domestic quality issues could tighten the supply of food-grade grain.
China state buyers may increase wheat imports as harvest-period rainfall damages crops in the world’s largest producer. Analysts estimate up to 7% of the domestic output faces quality downgrades, which could tighten food-grade supplies and increase reliance on foreign grain. Higher Chinese demand could drive global wheat prices further after they climbed nearly a fifth this year.
### Sprouting Risks Threaten Milling Quality Heavy rainfall hit Hubei and Henan provinces in late May, causing between 4.8 million and 10 million tons of wheat to sprout. While analysts at Shanghai JC Intelligence describe the volume as manageable, sprouted grain is typically unsuitable for flour and is downgraded to animal feed. The current risk follows a severe 2023 season where similar weather damage resulted in approximately 20 million metric tons of sprouted wheat.
