China corn imports soar in August

BEIJING -- China's corn imports surged in August, official data showed.

Corn imports last month totaled 1.02 million metric tons, up 339.8 percent year-on-year, while the value reached 1.53 billion yuan ($225 million), up 312 percent year-on-year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

In the first eight months, the value of corn imports jumped 52.4 percent year-on-year while the volume expanded by 50 percent.

China is expected to secure bumper autumn harvest this year, with stable supply of grain, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu.

China's imports of food crops have been stable in recent years, with grain imports accounting for only 2 percent of its domestic output, Han said.