Namyang Dairy gets nod to export milk powder to China

Namyang Dairy Products became the first Korean company to get state approval to export milk powder in China, the company said Thursday.

In October 2016, the Chinese government decided to limit milk powder imports to companies that satisfied certain criteria. The plan goes into effect in January.

Namyang said it submitted around 10 documents about its products. Inspections of the manufacturing facilities were part of the screening process.

Namyang became one of the 30 multinational manufacturers to get the nod and the only one in Korea. Eighteen products from six milk powder brands will be exported.

Milk powder makers were badly affected after relations with China went sour after the deployment of a U.S. missile system this year. China was a cash cow for Korean milk powder producers.

With Korea’s birthrate dropping, the importance of China as a market for local milk powder manufacturers is forecast to grow.

By Song Kyoung-son