Four containers holding 200 tons of quarantined forage grass have left from Northeast China's port of Dalian for the Republic of Korea (ROK), ending the ROK's 10- month import ban on forage.

Last July, the ROK banned the decade-old forage trade from China for fear of foot-and-mouth disease.

To resume forage exports as early as possible, the quarantine department of northeast China's Liaoning province helped forage producers improve sterilization measures and devise strict rules for processing forage.

In March, ROK quarantine officials were invited to Liaoning province to examine the quality of newly processed forage.

The officials gave high marks to the forage grass and the import ban was lifted on Saturday.

Northeast China's three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, plus north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are all rich in forage grass.

With forage exports resuming, it is expected that about 150,000 tons of forage grass will be transported from Dalian port to the ROK annually.

(People's Daily April 28, 2002)