March 18, 2004

China Exported 1.02 Million MT Corn In January-February

China exported about 1.02 million metric tons of corn in January and February, down 56.4% from the same period in 2003, the China Securities newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing data from China's General Administration of Customs.
 
In February, corn exports were pegged at 440,000 tons, slightly down from the 574,731 tons exported in the previous month. There were no corn imports during the first two months of 2004.
 
The report also said China's government allocated the first batch of corn export quotas in February. The amount is pegged at 1.40 million tons.
 
The official customs data is usually released on the 20th day of each month, but government agencies and state-owned media sometimes have access to the data earlier than that. China Securities is a subsidiary of the official Xinhua News Agency.
 
China exported 16.39 million tons of corn in 2003, up 40% from exports in 2002, according to official customs data.