China will open its markets to Argentine sorghum¹ this year, according to Argentina, creating competition for the US farmers who have been the main beneficiaries so far of a surge in Chinese demand for the grain normally used to make distilled² alcohol.

阿根廷表示，中国今年将向其高粱开放市场，这将给美国农民带来竞争。迄今美国农民是中国需求激增的主要受益者。高粱通常用于酿造蒸馏酒。

High prices of corn in China have forced animal feed producers to turn to sorghum as a cheaper alternative, especially after Chinese quarantine officials began more strictly³ enforcing restrictions⁴ against imports of certain types of genetically⁵ modified corn.

中国国内玉米价格高，这让畜牧业养殖者被迫使用高粱作为饲料替代品，尤其是在中国检疫机构开始更严格限制某些转基因玉米进口之后。

Imported corn and sorghum cost less than domestic corn thanks to Beijing’s minimum price policy designed to encourage the planting of corn.

中国为了鼓励玉米种植而实施最低限价政策，这导致进口玉米和高粱具有成本上的优势。

The Argentine minister of agriculture will sign bilateral⁶ protocols⁷, paving the way for China to import Argentine sorghum, during his visit to Beijing next month, his deputy Gabriel Delgado said in Beijing on Friday. “We expect trade to be smooth,” Mr Delgado said.

阿根廷农业部长将在下个月访华时签署双边协议，这将为中国从阿根廷进口高粱铺平道路。阿根廷农业部长助理加布里埃尔•德尔加多(Gabriel Delgado)上周五在北京表示，“我们预计贸易将是顺利的。”

China is by far the world’s largest sorghum importer, buying about 4.3m tonnes last year compared to second-ranked Japan’s 1.5m tonnes. Its imports were negligible until 2009, before soaring in 2012 and 2013.

中国是全球遥遥领先的最大高粱进口国，去年购买了约430万吨高粱，远高于排名第二的日本（150万吨）。2009年之前，中国高粱进口量几乎可以忽略不计，后来在2012年和2013年则大幅增长。

The US leads the world in sorghum production and exports, shipping⁸ about 5m tonnes this year. Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest sorghum producer but the second largest exporter, with exports of about 1.3m tonnes. Australia ranks third.

美国在高粱生产和出口上均排名第一，今年约出口500万吨。阿根廷是全球第五大高粱生产国，但却是第二大高粱出口国，出口量约为130万吨。澳大利亚是全球第三大高粱出口国。

Argentina may have come late to feast. Already this summer Chinese quarantine officials indicated stricter quality checks on sorghum imports, in an apparent attempt to force feed producers in southern China to purchase domestic corn and ease swelling⁹ stocks.

阿根廷可能已经错过了向中国出口高粱的最佳时机。今年夏天，中国检疫机构暗示要对进口高粱采取更严格的质量检查，这显然是想让华南的畜牧业养殖者购买本国玉米，缓解不断增长的库存压力。

The increased scrutiny¹⁰ has already led one Shanghai-based agricultural consultancy, JC Intelligence, to halve¹¹ its forecast for sorghum imports for the year to end September.

中国加大检查力度，已促使上海农业咨询公司汇易(JC Intelligence)将截止9月底的中国全年高粱进口量预测下调一半。

Sorghum generally has an easier time than corn in clearing Chinese import inspection¹² procedures because it is not genetically modified.

高粱通常比玉米更容易通过中国的进口报检流程，因为它不是转基因作物。