May 23, 2008

 

China doubles barley imports in April, soy and rapeseed drops

 

 

China doubled its barley imports in April compared to the same month last year while soy and rapeseed imports fell 10-percent and 30 percent respectively, according to  figures from China's General Administration of Customs.

 

China's barley imports doubled on-year to 192,701 tonnes in April.

 

Barley imports rose 32 percent when comparing the period from January-April 2008 with the same period in 2007.

 

For April, imports from Canada, the largest supplier, rose 206 percent on-year to 97,629 tonnes while that from Australia, the second largest supplier, rose 22 percent

 

Rapeseed imports, 99 percent of which came from Canada, totalled 95,178 tonnes, a 30-percent drop on-year for April but a 20-percent increase (408,548 tonnes)  when comparing the period from January-April 2008 with the same period in 2007.

 

China's soy imports for April dropped 10 percent to 2.39 million  tonnes. However, it rose 22 percent comparing January - April 2008 to the same period last year.

 

Soy imports from the US rose 3 percent to 1.57 million  tonnes in April, rising 14 percent for Jan-Apr 2008 compared to the same period last year.

 

Soy imports from Argentina more than tripled on-year to 95,110 tonnes for the month of April, rising 245 percent for Jan-Apr 2008 compared to the same period last year.

 

China's soy imports from Brazil continues to drop. For the month of April, imports from Brazil fell 35 percent on-year to 722,952 tonnes while dropping 31 percent for Jan-Apr 2008 compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, China's soyoil imports for April rose 41 percent on-year  to 296,777 tonnes. Imports during the period from January- April 2008 rose 28 percent compared to the same period last year.

 

More than half of China's soyoil imports come from Argentina. In April, volumes dropped 11 percent on-year to 155,361 tonnes but over the period from January to April 2008, volumes rose 19 percent to 697,948 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

 

However, soyoil imports from Brazil and the US increased rising to 57,503 tonnes (a 73-percent increase) and 83,908 tonnes (5893 percent increase) respectively.

 

China also vastly increased its soymeal imports for soymeal, 99 percent of which comes from India. In April, it imported 15,044 tonnes, a 571 percent increase. Volumes rose 232 percent for Jan-Apr 2008 compared to the same period last year. 

 

Corn imports for April totalled 977 tonnes, with 450 tonnes from the US.