In the first quarter of 2014, wool imports at Jiangyin Port showed restorative growth. According to statistics from the Jiangyin Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, 22,100 tons were imported in a single quarter with a value of US$123 million. Compared with 15,900 tons and US$91.88 million in the same period last year, the weight increased by 39% and the value increased by 34%. Among them, more than 70% were imported from Australia, with a value of US$89.85 million; 10% were imported from New Zealand, with a value of US$11.79 million; and a small amount came from South America and Europe.
Jiangyin is my country’s main wool processing base, with an annual wool processing capacity of over 100,000 tons, and its processing capacity is close to a quarter of the country’s total. Among them, 90% of wool raw materials are imported, and the export proportion of wool textile products also reaches 60%. In recent years, affected by the financial crisis in Europe and the United States, the export volume of woolen products has continued to be sluggish, which has also restricted the import demand for upstream wool raw materials. In 2013, the wool textile industry showed a weak recovery trend, especially the decline of the RMB exchange rate at the end of the year, which was beneficial to the export of wool textile products, and foreign trade exports became increasingly active. Regarding the prospects of the wool textile industry in 2014, it is generally expected that it will further improve, and major wool textile processing companies will also increase wool imports.
