The Japanese government’s plans to revise the "preferential tariff policy" may potentially pose a challenge to the export of agricultural products grown in north China's Hebei province.

Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that Japan's Ministry of Finance is embarking on the revision of the "preferential tariff policy", with the new version taking effect as early as April if it is approved by the Japanese congress.

According to the revised version, 465 kinds of products exported to Japan will no longer enjoy the preferential tariffs, of which 462 are produced in China.

The change in policy will have a serious impact of the province's agricultural exports, as Japan is the largest market for Hebei's agricultural products, a Customs official in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, said.

Last year, the trade volume of Hebei's agricultural products exported to Japan totaled 0.34 billion US dollars, a year-on-year rise of 11.5%, and much higher than that to the EU.

"The export volume of Hebei's agricultural products to Japan occupies a very small proportion in the total export volume of the province, so the change tariff policy of Japan is hard to have impact on the the province's overall export," he added.

Japan's "preferential tariff policy" was ushered in 1971 and imposed a zero-tariff or preferential tariff on the country's imported products, as part of economic assistance provided to developing countries.

By Guo Changdong and Chen Keyu