China imported 199,000 tons of dairy products in the first eight months of this year, a decline of 18.7 percent from the same period of last year, sources with the General Administration of Customs said Saturday.

The arrivals were valued at US$440 million, up 13.7 percent over the year-earlier level.

The average price of the imports went up 39.8 percent to US$2.2 per kilogram, the sources said.

According to customs data, the total imports included 66,000 tons of milk powder, down 34.6 percent.

Between January and August, China bought 70,000 tons of dairy products from the European Union, up 6.5 percent, 66,000 tons from New Zealand, down 25.5 percent, 32,000 tons from the United States, down 47.7 percent. The three sources accounted for 84.4 percent of China's total dairy imports.

According to the customs sources, less imports owed to a drastic decline in milk supply worldwide, as New Zealand and Australia suffered a serious drought, the European governments slashed agricultural subsidies and India and Argentina reduced exports to protect their domestic markets.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2007)