Foreign enterprises have smelled the fragrance of "big sponge cake" of the Chinese market after WTO entry. And yesterday found Mr. Henri de Benoist, president of the Association France Export Cereals and UNIGRAINS, promote his wheat in Beijing in an attempt to grab a share of China's grain market.
For France, China is a market we can not afford to miss, said Mr. Henry. According to WTO agreement China signed, from this year on the Chinese government allows foreign countries to export 8.5 million tons of wheat to China yearly, making China the biggest wheat importer of the world. After 2005 the permitted import volume will increase to 12 million tons, bringing huge business opportunities to foreign wheat exporters both at present and in the future.
As learned, at the Chinese wheat market, the US, Canada, Australia and France are all very competitive with Canada to take a bigger slice than the rest three. As the biggest wheat producer in EU, France is not to lag behind. Last year France exported some 360,000 tons of barley to China, mostly used for brewing beer. To date, China is country of steady beer production and so no big increase of barley import is expected. As a result France plans to make a breakthrough in wheat export.
Foreign wheat, of good quality and low price, is of no small threat to Chinese market and domestic producers should keep a clear view ahead and make more efforts to cope with it, expert said.
(People's Daily June 20, 2002)
