(File photo)

Hunan imported 1.91 billion CNY of consumer goods in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 180%, according to the Changsha Customs statistics. The Netherlands was the largest importer of Hunan Province, offering 370 million CNY consumer goods, which contributed 19.3% of the total imports. And its growth rate reaches 230%.

Food, alcohol, and tobacco were the largest imported consumer goods in the first three months, totaling 1.45 billion CNY. The imported meat grew by 200% to 670 million CNY, ranking first among all the imported consumer goods. It was learnt that the Hunan (Red Star) designated imported meat inspection site, first of its kind across the province, formally started operation recently. It will effectively reduce the costs on meat import logistics and time, thus fresher and cheaper imported meat for Hunan consumers will be guaranteed.

In addition, the number of imported passenger vehicles surged significantly, with an import value of 190 million CNY, up by 1510%.

The Customs analyzed that Hunan consumers’ strong demands drove the rapid growth of consumer goods imports. In the first quarter of this year, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Hunan Province reached over 354.18 billion CNY, a year-on-year increase of 11.1%.

Source: www.enghunan.gov.cn