China's agricultural exports growth saw an obvious fall in the
first half of this year. This is mainly a result of new rules
launched by the European Union and Japan, which imposed limits on
farm product imports.
The agricultural trade deficit reached US$2.1 billion in the
first half of this year, more than the total in the whole of last
year. The major reason is that the European Union's new food safety
law came into effect on January the 1st. In addition, Japan revised
its positive list system in May, which raised the threshold on food
chemical residue levels.
Official, ministry of agriculture Han Yijun said:" The new
positive list system has two aims. One, it enhances food safety for
Japanese consumers. Two, it helps Japan to limit imports from other
countries."
Japan is the biggest importer of China's food and agricultural
products. In 2005, Japan imported US$8 billion worth of products
from China, accounting for one third of China's total. But in June,
the first month after Japan launched the new rule, China's farm
product exports to Japan fell 18 percent from last year.
To deal with the difficulty, Chinese farmers are making efforts
to raise food safety, explore global market and adjust product
structure. At the same time, government is offering favorable
policies to support exports.
(CCTV.com August 7, 2006)