January 14, 2004

Record Soybean Imports For China In 2003

China imported a record 20.74 million metric tons of soybeans in 2003, China Securities newspaper reported Wednesday, citing data from the General Administration of Customs.

Soybean imports in 2003 were 83.4% higher than the 11.31 million tons imported in 2002, the report said.

China also imported a record 1.88 million tons of soyoil in 2003, more than double of the 870,000 tons imported in 2002, said the report.

China Securities is a subsidiary of the official Xinhua News Agency. China's custom office usually announces trade data around 20th of each month, but state agencies often get the data in advance.