A trade war between the world's two biggest economies has left American farmers sitting on a mountain of grain, and they are increasingly looking to Africa to move it. United States sorghum exports to China, historically the destination for 70 to 90 per cent of American shipments, fell by about 97 per cent in 2025 amid the dispute, pushing prices across the High Plains below $3 per bushel, according to Farm Progress.
A Grain With Nowhere to Go
Sorghum is unusually dependent on exports, with about half or more of every US crop shipped overseas, which makes the loss of its main buyer acute. Brazil and Australia have moved quickly to fill China's demand, deepening the squeeze on American growers, Farm Progress reported. The oversupply risk is set to persist, with US farmers intending to plant 6.12 million acres of sorghum in 2026, and rising domestic use for ethanol only partly offsetting the collapse in exports, according to RFD-TV.
Eyes on a Hungry Continent
With the Chinese market shut, some growers are eyeing sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 178 million people face food insecurity and grain demand is projected to grow about 2.2 per cent a year while local production rises only 1.6 per cent, according to Ambrook. Whether that opening becomes a durable trade route depends on food-aid channels and commercial relationships that take years to build, the same report noted.
Cheaper sorghum searching for African buyers could ease grain and feed costs across the region. Nigeria is itself a major sorghum grower and consumer, and FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified grain prices across Lagos markets, where shifts in global cereal trade eventually filter through to the plate.