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Agricultural products export growth slows down in 2008

By Tong Hao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-02-11 18:04

China's agricultural products exports rose 9.8 percent year-on-year in 2008 to $40.19 billion, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

According to the statistics, export growth declined 8.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Exports in the last two months of 2008 fell 6.9 percent and 7.2 percent to $3.47 billion and $3.76 billion respectively over the same period of 2007.

Related readings:  Agri-products companies under pressure  Govt policies to assist farmers  China vows rural support amid slowdown  China's export value down 17.5% in Jan

Although the country has increased export rebates for some agricultural products and lowered or even canceled the export tax, exports are unlikely to see a quick rebound in the near future. Poor overseas demand and falling prices in the international market amid the financial crisis, as well as the increasing distrust in China's food quality are likely to stifle export growth, the General Administration of Customs said.

Vegetables accounted for most of the exports in 2008 and rose by 3.7 percent to $6.44 billion. Exports of marine and livestock products grew 9 percent and 8.5 percent to $5.18 billion and $4.38 billion respectively. Fruit exports increased 12.8 percent to $4.23 billion, while grain exports fell 64.5 percent to $780 million. Exports of edible seed oil during the period were $410 million, nearly 1.4 times the figure in 2007.

Foreign-invested enterprises constituted 42.5 percent of the total pie and saw a 10-percent growth in exports to $17.1 billion. Exports by private enterprises rose 24.6 percent to $14.49 billion and accounted for 36.1 percent of the total. However, exports by State-owned enterprises fell 11.1 percent to $7.07 billion.

Japan remained the largest market for China's agricultural product exports. The country imported $7.67 billion worth of agricultural products from China, or 19.1 percent of the total, an 8 percent decrease, however. Exports to the European Union, the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were $6.44 billion, $5.12 billion and $4.57 billion respectively, and the growth rate were 17.6 percent, 16.8 percent and 16.2 percent.