Why imported milk rose 10 times in China

With the increase in the import volume of liquid milk, consumers have gradually found that the price of imported liquid milk has quietly multiplied from the country of origin to the Chinese market. Consumers have recently reported that in China, the price of liquid milk, which is equivalent to less than RMB 10 per renminbi, has drifted 10 times higher after entering the Chinese market. This has surprised consumers. According to a survey conducted by a reporter from Beijing Commercial Daily, liquid milk enters the Chinese market and requires a series of charges such as freight, insurance premiums, customs duties, value-added taxes, and port and import fees. The price doubles to ensure no loss, but the price turns out several times. Behind it is the high pricing behavior of import agents, and the profits of imported milk agents are considerable.

10 times price difference

The price of imported products is generally more expensive than domestic domestic and country-of-origin products. It is the consensus of many people. However, the price of a box of milk varies from a few yuan to a few tens of dollars, leaving many consumers confused. . Take a case of a 1 liter product from Australian a2 pasteurized full-fat fresh milk as an example. The price is RMB 59 on the e-commerce platform, and the same product on the supermarket counter is priced at RMB 65. A consumer from Australia said: “The price has increased nearly 10 times.” He further pointed out that in Australia, the price of a 2 litre product for the same product is less than 10 yuan.

The same thing happened to another consumer. A consumer who came back from France reported that he purchased a box of 1 liter bottle of local brand milk at the French National Carrefour supermarket for a price of only 0.8 euros. This price was sold with domestic supermarkets. Compared with similar products, the latter is three times that of the former.

Calculate accounts for imported milk

In view of many people, the high price of imported products is a relatively easy thing to understand and accept. After all, from the country of origin to China, a box of imported milk has gone through long distances and the cost has increased. How much can the cost be raised? After entering the Chinese market, the price is set in which range is considered reasonable?

Some industry insiders told the Beijing Business Daily that many imported milk products are currently qualified by the agents to enter the Chinese market, and overseas shipping is the first step for the products to be completed. According to different countries and regions, their transportation time is different. The time of arrival of milk is not the same. Transportation time in Europe and the United States is about 35-45 days, New Zealand is about 28 days, Australia is about 25 days, and China's Taiwan region is only about 3 days. After being transported to the port, milk from the ocean passes through a series of complicated customs clearance procedures. After the completion of these, it is passed through the hands of dealers at all levels so that it can finally be placed on supermarket shelves.

The person also gave an account to the Beijing Business Daily reporter: In the above-mentioned process, there will be purchase costs, freight, insurance premiums, tariffs, value-added tax, port and import fees, and in the process A series of costs such as management fees and sales expenses. Assume that the customs duty paid price for a box of milk is 10 yuan for CIF, and 15% customs duty and 17% value-added tax are to be surcharged. The two items add up to 3.2 yuan each, plus the transportation costs and customs declarations that cannot be quantified in a unified way. Fees, label fees, handling fees, etc., the product cost will increase to 15-17 yuan. And this cost does not calculate the profitability of intermediate links such as distributors and supermarkets. If we add a series of costs such as the price increase of distributors and supermarket entry fees, the cost will become higher.