China imported 691,000 tons of sugar in the first seven months of this year, a growth of 5.3 percent year-on-year, according to General Administration of Customs.

The arrivals were valued at US$220 million, down 23.1 percent from a year earlier.

The average import price fell 27 percent to US$313.2 per ton for the seven-month period, customs sources said.

The price drop owed to oversupply on international markets, the sources added.

Of the total imports, 660,000 tons, or 95.5 percent, came from Cuba, Thailand, Guatemala, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and Australia. Imports from Cuba, Brazil and Australia went down, while those from Thailand and Guatemala went up.