Sorghum

Sorghum belongs to the cereal or grain family and is the world’s fifth most important cereal in terms of production.  A large quantity is produced for animal feed, although it is increasingly being used in ethanol production. As a food it can often be found as couscous, porridge or flour, especially as a gluten free substitute.

Vallis contracts involving sorghum can be found in Nigeria, which is the world’s third largest producer of the commodity. 440,000 tonnes of sorghum has been handled by Vallis since 2006 in Nigeria alone.

There are various types of sorghum, including:

• Grain sorghum – most cultivated variety, used to make flour.
• Grass sorghum – used for livestock.
• Sweet sorghum – used for syrup, which in turn can make molasses.
• Broomcorn – the stalks of which are sometimes used to make brooms.

The kernels of sorghum are often defined by colour, ranging from red/brown (used in beer production) to yellow/white (sweeter but more susceptible to pests in storage and growth).