China imports 25% of rice from Pakistan in 2012

The Chinese Customs data showed that the country has imported 25 percent of rice from Pakistan in 2012. Pakistan followed Vietnam in the staple crop while Thailand stood third.
66.7 percent of China’s rice imports were from Vietnam, 25 percent from Pakistan and 7.6 percent from Thailand last year, respectively.
The Ministry of Agriculture (PRC) said China’s rice imports, which used to be dominated by Thai rice favoured by high-end consumers, turned to overseas markets for low price.
Rice prices in China started to outpace those in Vietnam and Pakistan last year due to a stronger yuan and steady price hikes in the domestic market, it said
China’s rice imports more than quadrupled from the previous year to reach 2.32 million tonnes in 2012, marking the largest amount of such imports since 2000, the latest customs data revealed.
Because the imports only accounted for a small share of international rice trade, as well as domestic production and consumption, they will not have an obvious impact on the global grain market or affect the domestic rice market, said a statement from the ministry.
Meanwhile, China’s grain output rose for the ninth consecutive year last year, with rice output up 1.6 percent year on year, which has contributed toward making rice supplies generally sufficient, said the statement.