Economy

Markets

Industries

Insights

Reports

Events

China's soybean imports surge in 2008

By Li Fangfang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-02-11 18:07

China imported 37.44 million tons of soybeans last year, 21.5 percent more than that in 2007, China's General Administration of Customs said on Feb 11.

Related readings:  Soybean market security shaken by foreign capitals  China soybean import grows 25.6% in 1st 10 months  China imports soybean at higher cost  Soybean industry told to get competitive

The value of the imported beans totaled $21.8 billion, with a 90.1 percent increase year-on-year and the average price jumped 56.5 percent to $582.7 per ton over previous year.

Imports from the US, Brazil and Argentina accounted for 98.7 percent of the total, the Customs said.

However, as the average price of the imported beans kept falling in the second half, domestic soybeans' market share further shrank as more food processing companies shifted their focus to imported beans.