May 19, 2004

China Imported Million MT Soyoil January-April 2004

China imported about 1.00 million metric tons of soyoil in the first four months of the 2004 calendar year, sharply higher than imports in the same period in 2003, the China Securities newspaper reported Wednesday, citing data from China's General Administration of Customs.

Soyoil imports in January-April 2003 are pegged at 310,000 tons, official custom data show.

In April, China soyoil imports are pegged around 230,000 tons, sharply higher from 80,000 tons in April 2003.

In the first four months of 2004, China exported 4,751 tons of soyoil, down 27.2% from exports in the same period of last year, said the report.

China's 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 unit of the official Xinhua News Agency.

China imported 1,884,356 tons of soyoil in the 2003 calendar year, up 117% from import in 2002, according to official customs data.