Stiff grain export rules to remain

China will stick to its rigid controls on grain exports for the time being despite the rampant smuggling of grain that has eaten into its tariff, grain experts said.

Grain smuggling is becoming more common because of the gap between record-high international grain prices and domestic ones, customs officials said.

Customs officials in Ningbo, Zhejiang province recently reported they had detected five cases in the past several weeks, preventing almost 470 tons of flour and rice from being shipped out of the country illegally.