CHINA’S corn exports rose 55 percent in the first eight months this year because higher U.S. corn prices prompted Asian buyers to switch to supplies from China, the government said Tuesday.

　　China’s January-to-August corn exports were 6.17 million metric tons, the China National Grain & Oil Information Center said in a report. Some 3.14 million tons of that went to South Korea, while 1.59 million tons went to Indonesia. China exported 1.65 million tons of corn in August, more than double the average monthly amount of 771,000 tons from January to August.

　　“Price increases in the U.S. have made Chinese corn very competitive,” said Wang Xiaohui, an analyst at the center.

　　Earlier this month, China said it would export more corn than planned to take advantage of higher global prices caused by drought-related losses in the U.S. and Canada. Corn for delivery in three months on the Chicago Board of Trade rose to a 5-year high of US$2.925 a bushel on Sept. 11.

　　The price has since fallen to Monday’s close of US$2.5525 a bushel on signs that U.S. farmers are harvesting a bigger crop than forecast.

　　China imported 498,000 tons of wheat from January through August, with 13,520 tons of that imported last month, the report said. About 335,000 tons of the eight-month total came from Canada, and 126,000 tons was from the U.S.

　　(SD-Agencies)