| | Exports to Japan for shochu barley could increase 12-fold in the next five years.
Here’s what you need to know before seeding time.
It’s taken years of research and years more of market development, but Alberta is now poised to increase sales in a fast-growing, value-added market for your barley.
The market is shochu, a liquor product made in Japan from pearled barley fermented with a mould known as koji. Australia was strongly represented in the shochu barley market until recently. Persistent drought in that country has some buyers questioning their ability to provide the desired supply and quality on a consistent basis. That’s provided a market opening for Alberta, and Bill Chapman suggests that farmers take advantage of the opportunity.
“Barley shochu is the fastest growing liquor drink in Japan,” explains Chapman, Provincial Cereals Agronomist with Alberta Agriculture and Food’s Ag-Industry Commercialization group in Barrhead. “Sales of shochu have increased by 20% to 40% annually in recent years, and it really appeals to all walks of life in Japan, from business people to university students.”
A focused, integrated program
While the shochu opportunity is now moving forward, the road has been paved by a multi-year, multi-disciplinary effort. With research funded by the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program, delivered by the Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta, market development work has been a joint activity of the producer-funded Alberta Barley Commission, Alberta Agriculture and Food and Rahr Malting Canada.
Chapman and Alberta Barley Commission CEO Mike Leslie visited Japan on a market development mission for 16 days last September. Their agenda included consultations with key barley users and a visit to Sanwa Shurui Co. Limited to see the production of their barley shochu Iichiko, translated as #1.
This visit impressed upon Chapman the passionate dedication of Japanese agribusiness to sourcing the world’s finest ingredients to make one of that country’s signature beverages.
“They like a plump, two-row barley, probably a malt type, thus far ideally AC Metcalfe,” says Chapman. “We can grow a product like this in some of our better malt barley areas around Three Hills, Drumheller and Olds. I’m also thinking of the Edmonton area, Morinville to Westlock and the Peace Country. The buyer also wants delivery to centralized loading facilities as early as November 2008.”
Can you make a buck with shochu barley?
“Alberta currently has exported 5,000 tonnes of shochu barley to Japan last year” says Chapman. “We have the potential to increase that to 60,000 tonnes in the next five years.”
In his view, the key is to grow a quality product with characteristics similar to malt. Shochu barley should have plump kernels and a kernel hardness score between 55 and 60 on the SKCS machine. By planting a variety like AC Metcalfe, growers can maintain flexibility in targeting either shochu or malt. Under current Canadian Wheat Board programs, the shochu price is generally similar to the malt barley price. Chapman emphasizes that variety selection and field management are critical.
“We’re looking for Alberta producers to grow AC Metcalfe or another malt barley variety in this new value chain, according to the highest agronomic standards,” he says. “That boils down to five recommendations: seed as early as possible, achieve an optimum seeding rate for your growing area, achieve a uniform plant stand, harvest early at 18% moisture, and aerate it down in August to 13.5% moisture.”
For more information on opportunities in shochu barley, please contact Bill Chapman by phone at (780) 674-8258 or by email bill.chapman@gov.ab.ca. |
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