Dairy exports from the mainland dropped more than 90 per cent in October in the wake of the melamine scandal, officials said yesterday.
Figures released by the Customs Department showed that the mainland exported about 110,000 tonnes of dairy products in the first 10 months of the year - equivalent to an average of about 12,100 tonnes per month until the end of September - but only 1,036 tonnes in October. When calculated using the actual raw figures, customs said the drop was 91.8 per cent.
The announcement comes after the Ministry of Health earlier this week increased its count of children made ill by melamine-laced dairy products to 290,000 - more than five times the figure cited when the ministry last gave a figure, more than 10 weeks ago.
An industrial chemical that causes kidney stones, melamine was used to help watered-down milk beat protein-level tests. The mainland has also faced scandals involving exported melamine-contaminated eggs and dumplings laced with pesticide.
The list of countries that have imposed at least partial bans on mainland milk or dairy products has been growing since the scandal broke in September, and includes the United States and the EU nations. The latest country to join the list is the United Arab Emirates.
Beijing has introduced measures to improve the dairy industry and product quality in general, but remains silent about compensation to victims. It has also called for the US to lift its ban, saying it has cracked down on the use of melamine in milk.