And China's developing taste for potatoes will soon be fueled by British produce, after an agreement was signed that allows the UK to export seed potatoes to China for the first time.

Both deals were finalized during a meeting in Beijing between UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Ni Yuefeng, head of the General Administration of Customs in China.

«I'm delighted to see the completion of this deal, bringing significant benefits to dairy producers across the UK at a time when British food and drink exports are at a record high,» said Fox.

Last year China imported 97-million-pounds worth of British dairy products that were manufactured with milk sourced from within the UK. The UK government expects that trade figure to increase by almost 50 percent now that exporters can send goods with milk sourced from other nations.

«The appetite in China for UK produce is clearly already strong. However there remains untapped potential across all food and drink categories,» said UK Trade Commissioner for China Richard Burn. «Imports into China of products such as yoghurt, flavored milk and cheese have seen rapid growth as Chinese consumers increasingly associate these items with nutrition and wellbeing.»

Changing consumer tastes in China has led to a boom in dairy consumption. China imported 14.2 million metric tons of dairy products in 2017, up 11 per cent on the previous year, and dairy imports are expected to exceed 19 million tons by 2026, according to China's Ministry of Agriculture.

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