China buys US$418 million worth of American poultry products in year through August

Beijing banned all purchases of American poultry in 2015 in response to an outbreak of bird flu in the US

China expected to return to being America’s No 1 export market in 2021, president of US industry group says

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Beijing lifted its ban on US poultry imports in November last year. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:01pm, 7 Nov 2020Updated: 9:24pm, 7 Nov 2020

China bought 283,183 tonnes of poultry products worth US$418 million from the United States in the first eight months of the year, representing 12 per cent of its exports of the food group in the period, according to an industry group.

Included in the total was 118,662 tonnes of chicken feet worth US$263 million, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council said.

Speaking via a video link to the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Saturday, Jim Summer, the group’s president, was upbeat about the future.

“After five years’ of absence, and actually for several months this year, our shipment to China actually exceeded our shipment to Mexico,” he said.

“By year’s end our numbers of total shipment to China are going to be very close or equal to Mexico, by next year China will again be our No 1 market. We are very pleased with the relationship that we have developed with the two countries.”

China bought 118,662 tonnes of chicken feet worth US$263 million from America in the first eight months of 2020. Photo: EPA

Under the phase one trade deal signed in January between Beijing and Washington, China promised to increase its purchases of US farm goods by at least US$12.5 billion this year and by US$19.5 billion in 2021, from a 2017 base of US$24 billion.