The Chinese government will reallocate tariff quotas for agricultural imports in a bid to fulfill its market opening commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

China's imports of 10 key agricultural products will soon be decided in accordance with both the demands of the Chinese market and the tariff quotas promised by Chinese government during WTO negotiations, said Zhu Jun, an official with the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC).

The new import quotas will be allocated before the beginning of every year. Leftover quotas will be distributed every September.

Domestic importers who have already been awarded quotas but have not signed contracts with foreign exporters by the end of this year are urged to return their quotas to the SDPC. The deadline for the return is September 15.

Meanwhile those that have already signed contracts with foreign companies have until the end of December to use them up.

Applicants for the new quotas can submit their application to the commission from September 1 to 15.

The current quotas have enjoyed a favorable tariff of less than 10 percent.

"I cannot tell you how many quotas are available then but there will be many," said Zhu.

The key products are corn, cotton, palm oil, rapeseed oil, rice, woolen yarn, soya-bean oil, sugar, wheat and wool.

From January to July, the import volume of all imports was below 50 percent of its respective total quota.

More detailed information on this year's tariff quotas are available on SDPC's website at www.sdpc.gov.cn.

(China Daily August 23, 2002)