Monday, March 11, 1974
RICE IMPORT QUOTA. RAISED
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The Commerce and Industry Department is raising the rice import
quota for the second quarter of 1974 to ensure that Hong Kong continues
to have abundant stocks available.
An Assistant Director of Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Frances
Hsiung, said that the quota for the second quarter has been provisionally
fixed at 112,500 metric tons 25 per cent above the basic quarterly quota
of 90,000 metric tons.
Mrs. Isiung stressed that present rice stocks, amounting to
75,000 metric tons, are ample to meet Hong Kong's needs, and the increased
quota would provide an even bigger margin of reserves.
She said that the department will continue to keep developments
in the rice trade under close review and will issue a supplementary quota
during the quarter if circumstances require it.
In the first two months of this year, Hong Kong imported a
total of 52,871 metric tons of rice, of which China supplied 48 per cent
and Thailand about 41 per cent. The remainder was imported from Australia,
the United States, Burma and Taiwan.
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