China to import 5mn tonnes of corn in 2013

BEIJING: China is expected to import 5 million tonnes of corn in 2013, an official think-tank said on Tuesday.

China has been aggressively purchasing low-cost corn from the United States, where a bumper harvest has pushed prices down to a three-year low.

About 100,000 tonnes of US corn is set to arrive at Chinese ports in October, followed by 800,000 tonnes in November, said the China National Grain and Oils Information Center.

Corn imports for the 2012/13 marketing year were 3 million tonnes.