February 1, 2007

 

China's grain exports down in 2006

 

 

With increasing domestic demand for feedstuff and industrial feedstock, China's grain exports shrank last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture forecasts.

 

The decline would continue challenged by growth in domestic consumption and depleting agricultural land, noted Qian Yanjie, a grain expert with Shanghai CIFCO Futures, citing corn as an example of the trend.

 

Soybean was China's largest net import grain product last year.

 

Imports  expanded  6.3  percent  year-on-year  to  28,269,884 tonnes while exports fell 4.4 percent to 379,004 tonnes.

 

China's major crop import and export in December and entire 2006:

 

Item  Import in  Import in  Year-on-  Export in  Export in  Year-on-

          Dec (tonne) 2006 (tonne)    year    Dec (tonne)   Jan-Dec     year

                                             change (%)              (ton)   change (%)

Wheat        10,645         584,095        -83.3      211,092     1,114,082     328.0

Rice           96,468         718,989         39.8      167,439     1,237,023       84.0

Corn          877              65,217        1540.0     469,401     3,070,485     -64.3

Soybean    2,438,400     28,269,884      6.3       55,002       379,004         -4.4

Soybean    262,754        1,542,635      -8.9       12,090       117,709         86.7

oil

Soybean     7,328           674,177       233.0      47,482        381,543       -31.0

meal

 

Source: General Administration of Customs