China's meat and milk imports increased sharply in the first half of the year.

China News Service, Beijing, August 18 (Reporter Ding Dong)-Chinese official data released on the 18th show that in the first half of this year, China's agricultural trade showed an increase in exports, a slowdown in imports, a narrowing trade deficit, and a sharp increase in meat and milk imports. Pork imports increased by 1.4 times year-on-year, beef imports increased by 60.8%, and milk powder imports increased by 20.6%.

From January to June, China's imports and exports of agricultural products fell 3.1 percent from a year earlier, exports increased 2.8 percent, imports fell 6.5 percent, and the trade deficit decreased 19.1 percent, according to statistics from China's Ministry of Agriculture. Among them, net imports of grain decreased significantly, down 20.4% from the same period last year; imports of cotton and sugar decreased significantly, both by more than 40%; imports of edible oilseeds increased, up 8.8% from the same period last year, and imports of edible vegetable oil decreased by 14.6%.

Against the background of a continued narrowing of the international trade deficit in agricultural products, vegetable exports increased by 8.3%, maintaining a trade surplus; fruit exports increased by 20%, and the deficit narrowed sharply; imports of aquatic products grew faster than exports, and the surplus decreased by 1.9% compared with the same period last year.

In response to the flood weather in many parts of China in the first half of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture said that the impact of floods on planting production was locally serious and overall limited. According to the agricultural situation regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture, the harvest area of early rice this year is slightly lower than that of last year, and the harvest is now over; due to the continuous heavy rainfall in the early stage and the severe flooding in the Yangtze River basin, the per unit yield and total yield of early rice are expected to decline. The planting of double-cropping late rice has progressed smoothly and has now ended. The planting time has basically been achieved, and the sown area is expected to be basically the same as last year.

In terms of agricultural prices, in July, China's wholesale prices of agricultural products showed a pattern of overall stability, a slight increase in month-on-month and decline compared with the same period last year, grain prices rose moderately, and prices of livestock and poultry products generally declined. The Ministry of Agriculture predicts that in the second half of the year, the growth of autumn grain will gradually improve, livestock, poultry and aquaculture will remain stable, market supply will be guaranteed, and there is little room for price fluctuations.