USA : China’s cotton & wool imports grow during Jan-Feb 2006

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Gain Report Number: CH6018 dated 13.4.2006 presents China Customs agricultural, fishery, and forestry commodity trade data recorded during January - February 2006.

Year to date agricultural, fishery, and forestry imports were $5.5 billion of which $1.2 billion originated from the United States.

Leading imports from the world were cotton, soybeans, untreated wood, natural rubber, and palm oil. China’s agricultural, fishery, and forestry exports were $5.2 billion, primarily processed aquatic products, corn and woodenware.

Highlights China Customs Reported Trade (January – February, 2006)

As per the figures available in the report, all commodities imported world wide by China during Jan-Feb 2006 stood at US 107.2 billion and among these Agriculture,fish and forestry products stood at $5.5 billion.

In particular, imports from the US for all commodities stood at $7.8 billion while for agriculture, fishery and forestry logged $1.2 billion.

China’s exports to the world in this period stood at $119.1 billion and specifically for agricultural, fish and forestry produce reached $5.2 billion.

China’s exports to US reached $25.4 billion for all commodities during Jan-Feb 2006 while for the agriculture, fish and forestry recorded at $0.8 billion alone as per China Customs Data.

At the four-digit HTS level, China’s imports of soybeans ($540 million) remain the second highest value import of any agricultural or non-agricultural commodities from the United States. Imports of cotton ($276 million) ranked fourth.

While soybeans ($540 million) remain the highest value import, China’s cotton imports ($276 million) from the United States follows soybeans at a distant second, which increase 155 percent.

Other commodity imports from the United States are also increasing by import value. These include certain hides and skins ($96 million), frozen chicken cuts and edible offal ($33 million), and certain sawn and sliced wood ($29 million).

Cotton not carded or combed imports for 2004, 2005 and 2006 stood at $777 million, $219 million and $816 million respectively for Jan-Feb period.

While, wool imports have significantly gone up from $95million in 2004 to $119 million in 2005 to $136 million in 2006 for Jan-Feb period, conveys the Gain Report.