China has clamped down corn imports from the USA by 500,000 tonnes this year over claims of containing a genetically modified variety not approved by Beijing
Chinese officials, who have curbed imports on US corn, might also be turning their sights to other origins as well as to the country’s soaring buy-ins of sorghum, according to sources.
The US department revised the corn exports to a four-year low of 2.5m tonnes in 2014-15.
While imported corn is around US$161.41-a-tonne cheaper than domestic supplies, ‘biotechnology related trade restrictions continue to disrupt trade’, the USDA’s Beijing bureau said.
The bureau also said that it was concerned about China turning their sights on alternative feed grains that feed mills have turned to to replace imported corn with Australian feed barley, US sorghum and Thai cassava among popular alternatives.
“China’s slow biotechnology approval process has restricted imports from the USA and may impact Brazil and Argentina,” it added.
According to reports, Chinese imports of sorghum soared from 631,000 tonnes in 2012-13 to 4.16m tonnes last season, and are expected to hit 4.3m tonnes in 2014-15.
