烏克蘭將成中國最大玉米供應國

Ukraine is set to become China’s top supplier of corn in the first half of 2015 as both countries reap the benefits of closer trade relations and Beijing looks to diversify its grain and oilseed purchases.

烏克蘭將成爲今年上半年中國最大玉米供應國，兩國都從更爲緊密的貿易關係中受益，而中國正試圖實現糧食和油籽採購的多元化。

The latest customs data for May shows China imported 403,881 tonnes of corn — mainly used as livestock feed — of which almost 95 per cent came from Ukraine.

5月的最新海關數據顯示，中國玉米進口爲40.3881萬噸（主要用於牲畜飼料），其中近95%來自烏克蘭。

This takes the total imports from Ukraine, the bread basket of eastern Europe, to 1.55m tonnes for the first five months of the year, or nearly 90 per cent of China’s overseas corn purchases.

今年頭5個月，來自烏克蘭這個東歐產糧區的玉米進口總量達到155萬噸，佔中國海外玉米採購的近90%。

Ukraine has established itself as China’s top corn exporter at a surprising pace since its first shipment to the country in 2012 after Kiev and Beijing signed a $3bn loan-for-corn deal. Ukrainian agricultural groups have sought investment and export deals with Chinese companies such as Cofco, the state-owned grains trader.

2012年，烏克蘭與中國簽訂價值30億美元的貸款換玉米協議。自首批玉米發運以來，烏克蘭以驚人的速度成爲中國最大的玉米供應國。烏克蘭農產品集團一直尋求與國有糧食交易商中糧(Cofco)等中國企業達成投資和出口協議。

The eastern European country’s ascent has come at the expense of the US, which until last year was the top corn exporter to China. For the first five months of this year, China imported a total of 45,000 tonnes from the US, down 95 per cent from the same time last year.

烏克蘭地位的上升是以美國市場佔有率下滑爲代價的，直到去年，美國一直是中國最大玉米供應國。今年頭5個月，中國從美國進口的玉米總量爲4.5萬噸，較去年同期減少95%。

Ukraine’s deepening relationship with China will support the country’s struggling agricultural sector amid continuing tensions with neighbouring Russia. Meanwhile, imports from Ukraine help satisfy China’s growing demand for grains and meat.

在與鄰國俄羅斯關係持續緊張之際，烏克蘭與中國關係的加深將支撐烏克蘭步履維艱的農業產業。與此同時，來自烏克蘭的進口將滿足中國與日俱增的對穀物和肉類的需求。

“Ukraine is on the new trade route to Europe that China wants to develop. It also meshes with China promoting investment and infrastructure in parts of the world that are neglected,” said Fred Gale, senior economist at the US Department of Agriculture.

美國農業部(US Department of Agriculture)高級經濟學家家弗雷德•蓋爾(Fred Gale)表示：“烏克蘭處於中國希望發展的通往歐洲的新的貿易線路上。這也與中國在世界上某些被忽視的地區促進投資和基礎設施建設的戰略相符。”