BEIJING, May 4 -- China's booming food export industry is facing a difficult year as the overall environment for exports has tightened and stricter tests are required by Western importers.

    Many food export firms at the spring session of the Canton Trade Fair, held last month, were daunted by increased examination costs after the dumpling poisoning case in Japan early this year.

    Although the case was believed by both sides to be an individual one of sabotage, food exports to Japan and the Republic of Korea decreased drastically in the first quarter.

    "Weihai (in east China) is a traditional apple export base, but export to the EU and US has become difficult recently because of the strict requirements of the pesticide residue indexes," said Tian Xuqing, director of the Weihai Municipal Chamber of Commerce of Fruit Import and Export.

    "Whatever amount you export to EU countries, they always send experts to investigate the food quality in the production and processing areas," he said.

    The Western media's tub-thumping reports had brought shame on Chinese food, said a manager with the Guangdong Native Produce Import and Export Corporation, and the export of seafood and pickles to the United States has been suspended.

    Rising labor and material costs and dismal overseas markets hit by the sub-prime crisis are making the Chinese food export situation more complicated, said Ou Minggang, deputy editor-in-chief of Chinese Banker magazine.

    "The global market is imposing more and more restraints against Chinese food.

    "A 10 percent increase in Chinese food exports this year is good enough," said Huo Jianguo, director of China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal Byproducts (CFNA).

    Chinese food exporters are now strengthening their quality and hygiene controls and many firms have set up food tracing systems to easily prove details of production area and date, the producer's identity, and the brand and source of the seed.

    CFNA will this year organize domestic food companies to attend more than 10 international food trade fairs, half of which will be in new markets including Russia, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and India in an effort to expand the customer base.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)