January 10, 2005
Prices of Vitamin C Products In China Remain Weak; Exports Up After New Year Holiday
An eFeedLink Exclusive Report
I. Price Summary
Prices of China's vitamin C products continued to remain weak, with no new developments this week in the domestic pharmaceuticals market. According to major Chinese pharmaceuticals companies, transaction volumes saw little change from last week. Current prices are at RMB41.00/kg, with smaller domestic players quoting lower-end prices of RMB38.00/kg.
As at January 10, prices of vitamin C products in China are as follows:
|
Region |
Vitamin C contents |
Prices as at January 3 (RMB/kg) |
Prices as at January 10 (RMB/kg) |
Price Changes (RMB/kg) |
|
Vitamin C Raw Materials | ||||
|
Guangdong |
98% |
45 |
45 |
0 |
|
Jiangsu |
99% |
41 |
45 |
4 |
|
Shaanxi |
99% |
43 |
43 |
0 |
|
Shandong |
99% |
43 |
43 |
0 |
|
Anhui |
99% |
38 |
38 |
0 |
|
Hebei |
99% |
40 |
40 |
0 |
|
Coated Ascorbic Acid | ||||
|
Zhejiang |
93% |
70 |
70 |
0 |
|
Anhui |
93% |
53 |
52 |
-1 |
|
Hebei |
97% |
48 |
45 |
-3 |
|
Jiangsu |
97% |
53 |
53 |
0 |
|
L-Ascorbate-2-Phosphate | ||||
|
Whole China market |
Imported (35%) |
70 |
70 |
0 |
|
Whole China market |
Locally Produced (35%) |
35 |
35 |
0 |
| Remarks: Prices indicated above are representative and are for reference only. | ||||
II. Exports of China's Vitamin C Raw Materials
With the end of the holiday season, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are reporting a recovery in the export demand of Chinese vitamin C products, with correspondingly improved price levels compared to the previous week's.
As at January 10, offer prices of locally produced vitamin C raw materials for exports to European and American markets have remained at the level of US$4.50/kg, while offer prices for exports to Southeast Asian and African countries have risen by US$0.20/kg to stand at US$5.00/kg this week.
III. Market Forecast
2005 marks China's fourth year in joining the WTO and the domestic pharmaceuticals industry looks set to continue liberalizing. As it is only in the early days of the New Year, the outlook for China's pharmaceuticals sector in 2005 remains as yet unclear. However, with the current export situation looking positive, analysts are forecasting that prices of vitamin C will remain stable in the near term.
