Sorghum: Stocks
Why households in dry regions store grain as insurance
What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.Top five producers: production and stocks (USDA, 2026/27)
| Country | Production | Share | Ending stocks | Stocks-to-use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 7,394 | 12.3% | 662 | 8.7% |
| Nigeria | 7,000 | 11.6% | 205 | 2.9% |
| Brazil | 6,500 | 10.8% | 362 | 5.3% |
| India | 4,700 | 7.8% | 313 | 6.9% |
| Ethiopia | 4,100 | 6.8% | 73 | 1.7% |
| World | 60,190 | 100% | 3,439 | 5.8% |
Stockholding and policy
No recycling applies. World ending stocks were 3.9 Mt in 2025/26, only about 6% of use, with the US holding 0.89 Mt (USDA PSD). In Africa, households and food reserve agencies hold most stocks. India has no separate buffer norm for jowar; states procure it at MSP (hybrid Rs 3,699/quintal in 2025-26, Rs 4,023 in 2026-27) and distribute it through the public distribution system in producing states. USDA puts India's ending stocks at 163 kt for 2025/26.
Dried sorghum grain stores well, and households in dry regions keep it as an insurance stock. Commercial stocks sit mainly in the US and Australia, close to export ports. In importing China, sorghum stocks track distillers' and feed demand. In the Sahel and Horn of Africa, food reserves and aid stocks matter more than market inventory. Low commercial stocks mean world prices lean heavily on US crop prospects and maize prices.