China's rice exports soared 69.1 percent year-on-year in the
first ten month to 968,000 tons due to recovering grain output
after years of stagnancy and sluggish growth.
Statistics released by China Customs Thursday showed that the
value of the rice exports in the period reached US$330 million, up
71.7 percent year-on-year.
China Customs attributed the soar to the recovering grain output
which has been growing for three consecutive years.
China stopped rice export in March of 2004 due to grain output
decline in the previous four years and resumed it in the next
April.
Affected by the policy, China's rice exports dropped 65.3
percent and 24.5 percent respectively in 2004 and 2005 to 910,000
tons and 690,000 tons.
According to the China Customs, four nations absorbed 506,000
tons or 52.3 percent of China's rice exports in the first ten
months. They are the Republic of Korea, Russia, Cote D'Ivoire and
Liberia.
Despite of the optimistic growth momentum, the government warned
of possible measures by the European Union against rice from
China.
In September this year, two environmental protection
organizations in Europe stated that they found genetically-modified
element in rice exported from China to the United Kingdom, France
and Germany. They urged the EU members to prohibit rice exports
from China, which would be a great loss for the country's rice
exporters as EU is considered the largest potential market.
If the EU bans rice exports from China, Japan and ROK may also
adopt similar measures, warned the the China Customs.
(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2006)