Argentina, one of the world's largest grains suppliers, will next month send its first shipment of corn to China since Beijing green lit imports in 2023, according to data from local shipping agency NABSA seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The Association of Argentine Cooperatives (ACA), a leading grains producing and exporting organizations, is set to ship 24,718 metric tons of corn to China from one of its terminals in the port area of Quequen.
Data from the national statistics agency shows this is first time Argentina exports corn to China since Beijing authorized imports of the grain from the South American country in 2023.
ACA did not immediately responded to a request for comment from Reuters.
"The start of corn shipments to China marks a milestone for our commercial strategy with that country," the president of the CIARA-CEC exporters' chamber, Gustavo Idigoras, told Reuters.
"Argentina is the third global supplier (of corn)," he added. "Now we have the opportunity for Chinese customers to know our corn and start buying massively."
The shipment to China is expected to depart on the CANADA EXPRESS vessel on August 15, the NABSA data showed.
Last year, China also approved imports of two varieties of genetically-modified (GMO) corn grown in Argentina, but government data shows that no GMO corn has been exported to China as of yet.
(Reuters)