Export market of plant extracts in the first quarter of 2011

According to the statistics of China Customs, in the first quarter of 2011, China's import and export of plant extracts reached 310 million US dollars, an increase of 46.4% year on year Among them, the export volume reached US $270 million, an increase of 53.4% year on year, accounting for 48.4% of the export volume of traditional Chinese medicine, and the proportion of plant extracts in the export of traditional Chinese medicine products gradually increased Generally speaking, the first quarter is the off-season for the export of plant extracts, which is the trough of the whole year However, the export of plant extracts in the first quarter of this year is different from that in previous years, with a substantial increase year-on-year, and the export market of plant extracts presents new characteristics 1 The export market of traditional plant extracts has recovered The United States and Japan are the traditional and largest export markets of plant extracts in China Most of the imported plant extracts are used in medicine and health products, representing the weather vane of the market of plant extracts In the first quarter, China's exports of plant extracts to the United States and Japan were US $42.057 million and US $36.086 million, with an increase of 66.2% and 19.8% respectively In particular, the export of plant extracts to the United States increased by more than 50% in recent years, while the export to Japan increased by 48.3% in the first two months, only due to the earthquake in March, the export growth showed a short-term decline This indicates that the global market demand for medicinal and health care plant extracts is increasing, and the export market of plant extracts is likely to usher in a new high-speed growth period 2 The EU market of Chinese patent medicine is limited, stimulating the new demand for plant extracts in the first quarter, and the EU market has become the most eye-catching export market for plant extracts EU countries, mainly Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, imported plant extracts from China in the first quarter increased by nearly or more than 100% Most of the imported plant extracts are also used for plant medicine and food supplements The European Union is one of the world's largest vegetable drug markets and one of the main destinations for the export of Chinese patent medicines According to the directive on the registration procedure of traditional botanical drugs issued by the European Union in 2004, all Chinese herbal medicines sold in the European Union market must be registered and licensed before April 30, 2011 according to the new regulations If there is no registration of traditional medicine, the sale of Chinese herbal medicines which are now circulated in the EU market by means of food, health products, etc will be banned Although many domestic pharmaceutical companies have launched EU traditional medicine registration, no one has yet announced the success of registration If the short-term domestic policy is not adjusted, Chinese patent medicine will be forced to withdraw from the EU market, which will leave a huge growth space for China's export of plant extracts, which is one of the main reasons why China's export of plant extracts to the EU doubled in the first quarter Therefore, it can be predicted that there will be a blowout in the export of EU plant extracts for quite a long time in the future 3 In recent years, essential oil plant extracts have become the new favorite of the market Natural pigments and stevia extract are relatively rapid growing varieties, which are also more concerned in the industry However, there is little mention of another potential stock of plant extracts - plant essential oil Plant essential oil and perfume are widely used in food additives, cosmetics, Chinese patent medicine and other fields In the first quarter, the export value of plant essential oil products was US $61.952 million, an increase of 72.3% year on year, accounting for 23.3% of the export value of plant extracts Among them, eucalyptus leaf oil is the largest export of plant essential oil products, with an export volume of 31.82 million US dollars in the first quarter, up 75.8% year on year In the first quarter, 4 of the top 10 enterprises in the export volume of plant extracts mainly export plant essential oil products, mostly concentrated in Yunnan, Guangdong and other southern regions IV emerging markets are worth paying attention to the export markets of emerging plant extracts represented by Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia In the first quarter, China's export of plant extracts to these countries increased by more than 100%, and the export to Brazil increased by as much as 352% The export of plant extracts to Brazil is mainly for medical and health purposes Most of these countries have huge population and consumption potential, which is likely to become a new growth point of China's extract export in the future In 2011, the export of plant extracts made a good start in the first quarter, and the positive news from all parties made the export of plant extracts show a strong growth It can be predicted that the export of plant extracts will reach a new record in 2011 However, the reality is not optimistic The future development of China's plant extract industry is still facing many challenges For example, the trend of global plant extract localization is obvious, the increasingly strict national environmental protection policies promote enterprises to continuously increase investment costs, and a series of food safety events such as "rutin propolis", "Clenbuterol" and "dyed steamed bread" have recently sounded the plant extract industry Alarm bell In order to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the industry, we should seize the opportunity to extend the industrial chain, expand the domestic market, strengthen the awareness of quality and safety, improve environmental protection standards, strengthen integrity and self-discipline.