BEIJING: China has given approval to at least two companies to export corn, trading sources said, in a radical move by the world’s No. 2 producer to cut its ballooning surplus and unleash more supply into a saturated global market. In what could be the first bulk exports in a decade, the Chinese government has issued permits to two state-owned companies, top grains trader Cofco and major processor and trader Beidahuang, allowing them to sell grain abroad, the China-based sources who were not authorized to speak to the media said on Friday.
The greenlight was for around 2 million tonnes of corn to be exported by three state-owned companies, said one of the trading sources who had spoken to one of the exporters. A second source had spoken to a foreign company which is in discussions with one of the approved exporters. A spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry said the permits were not its responsibility and directed questions to the state planer, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
The NDRC did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for COFCO did not answer his phone. A person reached at Beidahuang declined to comment. Traders and analysts said exports have been increasingly likely as China struggles with a massive grain surplus and prepares to harvest a bumper crop, its first in almost a decade without government price support.
Chinese corn prices DCCv1 have slumped more than 20 percent in the past year and are expected to fall further towards international benchmarks. Even if quantities are limited at first, sales abroad would spook major exporters such as Brazil and the United States, increasing competition at a time when record harvests are predicted in many regions. Five of the top ten largest corn importers are in Asia, which may allow China to compete against the Americans and others with lower freight costs. The potential sales would also come amid an intensifying spat between China and the United States over trade in everything from grains to aluminum.
China last exported significant volumes of corn in 2006/07, when it sold almost 5 million tonnes. It has since become a major importer after a state stockpiling scheme pushed domestic prices way above the global market, stoking purchases of cheaper grain from overseas. The policy has left a corn stockpile estimated at nearly 240 million tonnes – much of it poor quality due to its age – which Beijing is now struggling to offload after abandoning the program this year. On top of that, China’s crop of nearly 220 million tonnes is set to hit the market next month.
