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)