US farmers face tough outlook as China switches suppliers amid trade war
China's imports of a slew of US agricultural products plunged dramatically in May, and it is possible the trade may never fully rebound as Beijing's moves to diversify its food supplies will be 'difficult to unwind', experts said.
According to the latest Chinese customs data, the country's imports of a basket of US farm products plummeted by more than 43 per cent year on year in value terms in May, with shipments in several categories almost entirely halting as the US-China tariff war took its toll.
Chinese imports of fresh boneless beef and edible sorghum from America tumbled over 97 per cent year on year, while shipments of corn and uncombed cotton yarn were down over 93 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively.
Imports of American frozen beef declined by around half, and several categories of frozen and preserved chicken saw drops of more than 60 per cent.
Beijing first began
imposing tariffs of 10-15 per cent on US agricultural products in early March, in retaliation for Washington's move to slap an additional 10 per cent duty on all Chinese goods over fentanyl-related issues.
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