BACK Paddock was interested to read Nuffield scholar Leon Ryan recently returned from a study tour which included China.
Leon sees plenty of scope to increase our malting barley exports to China - if only we could teach the Chinese to drink a bit more.
If the Chinese, who currently drink about 22 litres of beer per capita each year, ever catch up to the Aussies, who put away about 110 litres, it would be boom time for local barley industry.
Back Paddock has worked out that an extra 88 litres of beer a year for China's 1.34 billion population translates to 313 billion stubbies and an extra 44.7 million tonnes of malting barley.
So who better than elder statesman and one-time beer drinking champion, Bob Hawke, to get up there and show the Chinese how to shout.
He might have just turned 80 and his drinking slowed down a bit, but Back Paddock reckons Bob's the man.
