Increasing alcohol consumption in China tied to the nation's economic expansion is raising the imports of sorghum from the United States. The grain is used to make baijiu, a traditional Chinese spirit.

The International Grains Council said China's imports of US sorghum may be even greater than US farm officials thought. Agrimoney.com reported the council as saying that so far for 2013 to 2014 it has received orders for 400,000 tons of sorghum, most of which will be shipped through November to southern China.

Agrimoney.com quoted grains council analyst Chris Lawson as saying the organization received that import figure from "a couple of different sources". The council could not be reached to confirm the report.