MAY 31, 2016 10:50 AM
As China begins auctioning off its huge stockpiles of grain, it could lose more than $10 billion on corn alone, according to USDA.
The losses stem from China’s changing policy toward stockpiling grain. Earlier this year, the country announced it planned to end the practice and move to a more market-driven policy.
Now, as the new harvest comes in, Chinese officials have to make room for the new grain. Last week, China’s Grains Reserve Body started selling two million tons of old corn and 200,000 tons of rice. The country faces losses because when China bought the corn for its stockpiles, it paid more for the corn than it is worth now.