10/28/2004 (Asia Pulse) ZHENGZHOU - China's soybean oil consumption hasgrown sharply, with the country's edible consumption of soybean oiltopping 5.6 million tons in 2003/2004.

Including industrial consumption and import, China's total soybean oilconsumption in the year was 6.3 million tons, an increase of 800,000 tonsor up 14.5 per cent year on year.

While soybean imports have dropped in quantity, China's soybean oil importhas hit a record high of 2.721 million tons in 2003/2004 year, which hasdirectly boosted soybean oil supply in the country, sources of ZhengzhouGrain Wholesale Market disclosed.

Latest figures shows that newly increased soybean supply was 6.937 milliontons in 2003/2004, of which 4.216 million tons are newly increasedproduction and 2.721 million tons are imports