Beijing, Oct 6 - China will issue low-tariff quotas for imports of 1.945 million tonnes of sugar and 287,000 tonnes of wool in 2009, unchanged from this year, as part of its commitment to the World Trade Organisation.
The Commerce Ministry said 30 percent of the sugar quotas were for private firms and importers could apply from Oct 15 to Oct 30, according to a statement posted on its Web site.
The ministry did not say when wool importers could apply for the quotas. Qualified end-users should have import contracts ready when applying, it said.
The ministry would stop processing applications by wool importers after all the quotas were allocated, it said.
China is likely to produce a record 15 million tonnes of sugar next year, the second highest output after this year. The high output would mean fewer imports.
Buyers with import quotas pay lower duties -- 1 percent for wool and 15 percent for sugar, while duties of up to 50 percent will be imposed for imports above set quotas.