SAO PAULO (Reuters) -China has approved imports of Brazilian sorghum, an official at Brazil's Agriculture Ministry told Reuters, adding that the first cargos could be shipped this year, providing an alternative to plunging U.S. exports sooner than expected by many.

China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) wrote to Brazil saying that its sorghum is eligible for shipment, Eduardo Porto Magalhaes, coordinator for international phytosanitary inspection and certification at the Brazilian ministry, said in an interview on Tuesday.

The designation follows an early August visit by a Chinese delegation to meet with sorghum producers in Brazil. China first announced plans to import Brazilian sorghum during President Xi Jinping's state visit to Brasilia in November 2024, which marked an upgrade in the status of bilateral relations.

"The next steps are to register Brazilian companies, exporters, and producers that intend to export to China. We've already completed the first round of registrations for these companies and will now submit them to China," Magalhaes said.

The first sorghum exports could leave Brazil for China in the next 60 days, Magalhaes said.

Representatives for Brazilian sorghum and corn farming group Abramilho had said in August they did not expect to ship the current crop to China.

GACC was not immediately available to respond to questions.

The agreement comes at a time when relations between China and the United States - traditionally a major exporter of sorghum to the Asian country - have sharply deteriorated amid trade tariffs, with U.S. sorghum exports to China plummeting.

U.S. sorghum exports to China this year through July stood at just 82,323 metric tons, down 97% from the same period a year earlier, according to U.S. Census Bureau trade data.

Brazil's sorghum production doubled in just a few years to 4.4 million metric tons in the 2023/24 season, according to national crop agency Conab, but the country's exports still represent less than 1% of the international market.

Sorghum producers are hopeful that Chinese interest can boost demand for their crop.

"I believe that the demand for sorghum exports will encourage the growth of sorghum planting here in Brazil," Pedro Ottoni, director for the International Maize Alliance and sorghum producer who hosted the Chinese delegation, told Reuters.

"Brazil will stand out in global sorghum production," he said.