Shipments of dairy products to China for the year to August 2015 were 1.2Mt, down 20% on the same period in 2014. This fall in volumes coincided with prices for dairy products decreasing resulting in the overall value of Chinese dairy imports being down almost 42%. WMP, SMP and butter saw the largest falls in trade in values and volumes. While infant milk formula saw an increase in both quantity and value terms, up 30% and 44% respectively. According to the USDA, carryover stocks of WMP from 2014 are estimated at 300,000 tonnes, which represents almost 45% of Chinese imports of WMP in the previous year. This could mean that Chinese buyers may not choose to return to the market immediately. In addition a slowdown in China’s economy and surrounding uncertainty could also have an impact.
Shipments of diary products to China for the year to August 2015 were 1.2Mt, down 20% on the same period in 2014. WMP, SMP ﻿and butter all saw the biggest falls in trade, but infant milk formula saw an increase in both quantity and value terms. The report also found that while exports fell by a third from 2014 levels, imports rose by more than 50%. , this has resulted in the overall value of Chinese diary imports being down almost 42%.