THIS REPORT CONTAINS ASSESSMENTS OF COMMODITY AND TRADE ISSUES MADE BY USDA STAFF AND NOT NECESSARILY STATEMENTS OF OFFICIAL U.S.
GOVERNMENT POLICY
Southern China imports of U.S. wheat strengthen …Upcoming opportunities for U.S. exporters to
participate in a craft beer festival, as well as meet with South China seafood, fresh fruit, ginseng,
and other food product importers…ATO Guangzhou took part in a number of beef retail events,
promoted U.S. tree nuts and fruits, as well as participated at a Southern United States Trade Association trade mission.
ATO Guangzhou Staff Levin Flake
SP1 - Expand International Marketing Opportunities Agricultural Trade Office Activities
Agriculture in the News
Monthly Agricultural Market News of South China
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General Information:
Southern China Imports of U.S. Wheat Strengthen
Data Source: China Customs
South China’s imports of U.S. wheat have been very strong in the first half of 2017, with imports exceeding $200 million - more than quadruple the value of the same period last year. One of the key reasons for this jump in imports was quality problems in the 2016 Chinese domestic wheat crop, resulting in greater imports of high-quality and high-protein U.S. wheat (such as Hard Red Spring) for blending. Demand has also been robust from the thriving South China baking industry, and U.S. wheat has a strong reputation among bakers. In addition to hard wheat varieties, U.S. soft wheat is also being imported for use in traditional Cantonese dim sum, such as sweet steamed buns.
With domestic wheat production being located primarily in Eastern and Northern China, the majority of wheat imports come to the South. In fact, in recent years two-thirds of all wheat imports were to South China ports. Although demand from the baking sector is expected to remain strong, a better-quality Chinese domestic 2017 crop could impact the volume of wheat imports in future months.
Upcoming Events
September 5-7, 2017, Seafood Expo Asia, Hong Kong: Around 60 key China seafood importers and distributors are planning to visit the Seafood Expo Asia in Hong Kong along with ATO
Guangzhou staff. At this event, U.S. seafood exporters will showcase their premium seafood products including a wide range of fish, lobster, crab, shellfish and value-added seafood products. As South China is an expanding market for U.S. seafood products, any U.S. exporters that will be at the show and would like to be introduced to major importers from the region should please contact ATO Guangzhou Marketing Specialist Vivian Xian at Vivian.Xian@fas.usda.gov.
September 5-8, 2017, Asia Fruit Logistica, Hong Kong: Asia Fruit Logistica is one of the major platforms in the world for meeting with fruit industry leaders to share ideas and market intelligence.
Around 15 of South China’s key fruit retailers, importers and regional distributors will attend the
show. At the event, ATO Guangzhou will also meet with USDA cooperators’ in-country
representatives from California Table Grapes, Northwest Cherries, Washington Apples and Sunkist Growers. Any U.S. exporters who would like to meet with South China importers at the event should please contact ATO Guangzhou Marketing Specialist May Liu at May.Liu@fas.usda.gov.
September 8-10, 2017, U.S. Craft Beer and Food Festival, Guangzhou: ATO Guangzhou is organizing a U.S. Craft Beer and Food Festival in Guangzhou which will highlight U.S. beers, as well as other U.S. food products. Any interested U.S. craft beer exporters, or other suppliers of U.S. food, may contact ATO Guangzhou Marketing Specialist Mr. Kang Chen at
kang.chen@fas.usda.gov for more information.
September 8-10, 2017, Food Hospitality World, Guangzhou: ATO Guangzhou will attend and
have a booth at this year’s Food Hospitality World event in Guangzhou to promote U.S. food and
beverage products and to collect market intelligence. This year’s show, which will include 2,400
exhibitors, will focus on confectionery, frozen products, processed food, wine and other beverages. For more information on this event, please contact ATO Marketing Specialist Ursula Chen at Ursula.Chen@fas.usda.gov.
September 15-17, 2017, U.S. Ginseng Festival, Wisconsin: ATO Guangzhou will lead a Chinese buyer delegation to the inaugural U.S. Ginseng Festival in September. The event, which will be held in Wausau, Wisconsin, is the first of its kind and will showcase ginseng use in different cultures, as
well as highlight this year’s harvest. For more information, please visit
Recent ATO Guangzhou Activities
U.S. Cherries in High Demand in South China – On August 18, Agricultural Minister Counselor Bruce Zanin and ATO Guangzhou staff visited the Jiangnan Imported Fresh Fruit Wholesale Market to meet fresh fruit importers, distributors and trade associations. Jiangnan is the largest wholesale fruit market in the country and a key distribution point for the majority of U.S. fruits entering the Chinese market. Currently, cherries from the Northwest United States are in large supply at the market, and California grapes are beginning to arrive following the harvest. ATO Guangzhou presented U.S. Ambassador Branstad (pictured below) with Washington cherries from the market during his visit to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. According to trade contacts, China is now the largest overseas consumption market for U.S. cherries with sales doubling since 2014. They also expect total exports of U.S. cherries in 2017 to exceed three million boxes (20lbs/box), up by 50 percent from last season.
U.S. Beef Available in More and More South China Retail Stores – On August 10, ATO
Guangzhou participated in a U.S. beef launch event with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the Japanese retail chain “Maxvalu” in Guangzhou. To enhance the consumer experience with U.S. beef at the event, USMEF invited a guest chef to showcase multiple beef dishes, followed by consumer tasting. A few days later, ATO Guangzhou participated in another launch event and cooking demonstration of high-quality U.S. beef at a high-end Taste supermarket in Guangzhou. This launch was followed by two similar events held in Shenzhen and Zhuhai in Guangdong
Chinese Demand for High Quality Imported Tree Nuts Continues to Grow - On August 2-4, ATO Guangzhou attended the International Tree Nut Conference in Guangzhou. The conference, organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Foodstuffs and Native Produce, included over 400 tree nut processors, importers and distributors from domestic and overseas locations. At the event, a number of U.S. trade associations set up booths to introduce and promote U.S. nuts. Additionally, multiple U.S. trade associations (such as the Almond Board of California and the National Pecan Growers Council) and U.S. tree nut companies presented at the conference and commented on key trends in the industry. At the conference it was reported that in 2016, Chinese imports (from all sources) of pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts increased by 62%, 17%, 218%, and 75% respectively. South China continues to play a primary role in the importation of tree
nuts due to the region’s robust demand, highly developed distribution network and multiple ports.
Southern United States Exporters Connect with South China Importers – On August 18, ATO Guangzhou participated in a Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) trade mission with six U.S. food and beverage exports. ATO Guangzhou staffed briefed the participating companies on the $8.3 billion-South China market and helped connect delegates with potential Chinese importers. At the briefing, both traditional trade and e-commerce opportunities were highlighted for U.S. products ranging from seafood, beer and organic milk to sugar-free mints and nuts. Following the briefing the companies had a number of one-on-one business meetings.
restaurants attended the event. Activities included multiple presentations on USDA beef grading and how to best preserve the high quality of U.S. beef through the defrosting, handling, cutting and preparation processes. Such trainings help reduce waste and maximize quality, thereby helping to ensure strong revenues from featuring U.S. beef in hotel restaurant menus.
Email: ATOGuangzhou@fas.usda.gov Tel: +86-20-3814-5453
Fax: +86-20-3814-5310
