Jordan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade made headlines this week after canceling a tender to purchase 120,000 metric tons of feed barley on April 16, 2025. The tender, intended for shipment between August and September, attracted four major global grain traders: Viterra, Nibulon, Dreyfus, and Cargill, according to Zerno Online, citing European trade sources. Yet, despite this interest, the government withdrew the offer without explanation.
This is not the first time Jordan has made a last-minute decision to cancel a grain tender. As a key buyer in the Middle East feed grain market, Jordan regularly imports large volumes of barley to support its livestock sector. The cancellation raises questions about pricing expectations, quality concerns, or possibly shifts in budgetary or logistical planning.
Jordan’s next barley tender, again for 120,000 metric tons with the same delivery window, is scheduled for April 23, 2025. Analysts suggest that this second tender could be a tactical move to renegotiate terms or secure better offers, particularly as global barley prices remain volatile due to tight global stocks and weather risks in major producing regions like Australia and the Black Sea.
Global Context: What’s Driving the Market?
According to the International Grains Council (IGC), global barley production in 2024/25 is forecast at 145.1 million tons, slightly down from 2023/24 due to lower yields in Australia and Ukraine. Feed barley demand remains robust in the Middle East and North Africa, but high freight rates and supply chain disruptions continue to impact tender dynamics.
In Russia, the world’s top barley exporter in 2023, the 2024 harvest dropped to 16.7 million tons (down from 21.15 million tons in 2023), pushing FOB export prices up significantly. This may have made offers less attractive to importers like Jordan, who operate within tight procurement budgets.
Additionally, Ukraine’s export competitiveness has been under pressure due to infrastructure challenges and increased logistics costs, while European barley remains expensive and often redirected to internal EU markets.
Why This Matters for Farmers and Traders
Canceled tenders — especially from consistent buyers like Jordan — are closely watched by global barley producers, exporters, and logistics firms. A single cancellation can be a signal of shifting buyer behavior, risk aversion, or broader geopolitical or economic constraints. For exporters, it can lead to temporary surpluses or price adjustments, especially if multiple buyers delay purchases.
Moreover, this uncertainty can affect forward contracting, crop planning, and logistics scheduling for farms and agribusinesses in export-oriented countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Australia.
Jordan’s unexpected cancellation of its April 16 barley tender underscores the fragile balance in global feed grain trade. Whether driven by pricing, quality, or strategic delay, the move reflects how sensitive procurement strategies are to market conditions. With another tender set for April 23, global grain players will be watching closely — and so should farmers, exporters, and policy planners.
