How much wheat does China produce and consume?
China is the only country in East and Southeast Asia that has a large wheat-producing, wheat-consuming rural population. Both production and consumption have steadily increased over the years, with consumption outpacing production in most years. The exception to this pattern over the last 12 years is 1997/1998, when China produced a record 123 million metric tons of wheat and consumed about 115 million metric tons. How much wheat does China buy? Between 1985 and 1995, on average, China imported 10 million tons of wheat each year (ranging from 4 to over 15 million tons), relying on imports during this time for just over 10% of its wheat needs. Imports have dropped steadily since 1996 and, this year, total imports are expected to be only 700,000, a record low. The U.S. market share is generally a third of the imports. What types or classes of wheat does China import? In the past, China has purchased hard red winter, soft red winter and hard red spring wheat from the U.S. Due to the long
