by PressFrench wheat is not good enough for Chinese buyers
French wheat loses attractiveness for Chinese market
After the deterioration of diplomatic relations between Australia, China refused from grain supplies, and began to look for new exporters. One option was French wheat, but in order to conclude contracts for the crop, Beijing demanded that Paris fulfill a number of obligations.
Chinese representatives said that to meet grain needs, French farmers must offer better quality wheat than they currently have. In addition, the country must strengthen phytosanitary control to exclude any cases of plant contamination. Only under these conditions will China agree to increase French imports.
It is worth noting that the European state is on the list of suppliers that have received a license from the PRC. Supplies from France are regularly increasing, as are the demands from the Chinese side. Last year, exports of this grain to China amounted to 2.5 million tons, and continue to grow.
However, for relations between the countries to continue to develop in a similar vein, France needs to pay attention to the production of high and medium quality wheat, which will meet the high demands of Chinese buyers. Grains from this European country are low in protein and have characteristics similar to those of varieties grown in China. At the same time, Beijing wants to increase the volume of wheat with a higher protein content for the domestic market. In addition, Chinese representatives have noted a number of problems in terms of non-compliance with phytosanitary conditions in France, which in recent years have had to delay some grain shipments or return them to the exporter. Therefore, China requires greater control over the quality of products, to test the culture on a more extensive list of criteria than those currently adopted in the country. Otherwise, Beijing will be forced to reduce the supply of French wheat and increase imports from other countries that are competitive in terms of cost and quality of grain. A few months ago, China did not buy grain, increasing imports from Australia.
In addition to wheat, Paris ships feed barley to Beijing. In March, its shipments reached a record for the last 4 years — about 458 thousand tons.
France is a major supplier of wheat in the European Union. In March, its exports outside the region reached a record high, the main buyer was Morocco. Exports of French grain, not counting the EU and Britain, was about 938 thousand tons, of which 348.3 thousand tons went to Morocco. These figures are 3 times higher than the figures recorded a month earlier.