China Buys Less Edible Oil from Abroad

Feb 01,2009 (Foods1.com) -- Edible oil arrivals in China declined 3.9 percent year-on-year to 7.41 million tonnes in the first 11 months of 2008, as domestic demand weakened upon international financial crisis, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

The imports were valued at 8.47 billion U.S. dollars, up 50.5 percent over the year-earlier level.

Palm oil claimed a 60.5-percent share of China's total edible oil arrivals with an import volume of 4.13 million tonnes, up 1 percent. The growth rate was 6.1 percentage points below the year-earlier level.