Ex-works price of xanthan gum decreases sharply in 2013

Summary: The ex-works price of xanthan gum witnessed a sharp downtrend in 2013,

especially in H2 2013. The decrease in the price could be attributable to the increasing

supply, the slow growth in demand from overseas markets, the weak competitive advantage

and the weak cost support.

Tag: DDGS,sorbitol,furfural,corn germ meal,xanthan gum,VB2,poultry industry,edible ethanol

industry,wheat

The ex-works price of xanthan gum witnessed an obvious downtrend in 2013, especially

during H2 2013. For example, the ex-works price of xanthan gum of Fufeng Group Co., Ltd.

(Fufeng Group), a leading xanthan gum manufacturer with a capacity of around 50,000t/a,

fluctuated at a relatively low level during H1 2013, according to data from CCM. The average

ex-works price decreased from USD5,190/t during H2 2012 to USD5,149/t during H1 2013.

Since then, Fufeng Group continued to decrease the price of xanthan gum to USD4,275/t in

Dec. 2013, down a significant 17% compared with that in June 2013, due to the downturn in

the market for xanthan gum.

The following factors forced producers to decrease the price of xanthan gum in 2013:

First of all, the increasing supply of xanthan gum. Tight supply caused higher prices in 2012,

but expanding capacity led to oversupply in 2013. Deosen Biochemical Ltd. (Deosen

Biochemical), Fufeng Group, Inner Mongolia Jianlong Biochemical Co., Ltd. and Meihua

Holdings Group Co., Ltd. all put xanthan gum production lines into operation this year. Each

of these production lines has a capacity of around 10,000 t/a. And it is estimated that the new

capacities of xanthan gum in 2013 totalled around 60,000 tonnes. The expansion intensified

the competition in the xanthan gum market, so manufacturers had to decrease their prices to

take up more market share.

Second, the slow growth in demand from overseas markets. Generally, China's xanthan gum

is an export-oriented product. While, the demand growth of xanthan gum from overseas was

not satisfied. The export volume of xanthan gum was around 102,000 tonnes during Jan.-Nov.

2013, just at the same level as that in 2012. Moreover, in May 2013, the US Department of

Commerce imposed dumping margins on Chinese xanthan gum, ranging from 15.09% to

154.07%. The high anti-dumping margins negatively impacted the xanthan gum export.

Third, the less competitive advantage. In 2013, the price of guar gum, a substitute of xanthan

gum, declined in the overseas market, especially since July. According to data from China

Customs, the average import price of guar gum from India (China's major import origin of this

product) was around USD4,993/t during Jan.-Nov. 2013, down from around USD6,533/t in

2012. The low price of imported guar gum attracted more downstream enterprises to use this

product. China imported around 4,472 tonnes of guar gum from India in the first eleven

months of this year, 1,074 tonnes more than that in 2012.

Fourth, the weak cost support. In 2013, the price of corn starch in China remained low and it

has undergone a downtrend since Aug., due to the increasing supply of corn. In detail, the

average ex-works price of corn starch in North China was around USD469/t in 2013, USD8/t

lower than that in 2012.

It is predicted that the price downtrend of domestic xanthan gum will persist in 2014, due to

further capacity expansion. Specifically, the third phase of the xanthan gum capacity

expansion of Deosen Biochemical will be finished in early 2014. Then, the company's xanthan

gum capacity will increase to around 90,000 t/a from present 78,000 t/a, becoming the largest

producer of this product in China. Similarly, Fufeng Group also has a desire to enlarge the

market share of xanthan gum.

Source: Corn Products China News issued by CCM in January.

Table of Contents of Corn Products China News 1401

China returns 2,000 tonnes of GM DDGS to the US

Chinese corn products Imp. & Exp., Nov. 2013

Export volume of China's furfural rebounds, Oct.-Nov. 2013

Price update of corn products, Jan. 2014

Review of the ex-works price of corn germ meal, H2 2013

Ex-works price of xanthan gum decreases sharply in 2013

Guangji Pharmaceutical suspends partial VB2 production line

Shandong Longlive opens online flagship shop at Tmall

Frequent outbreaks of avian influenza challenges poultry industry again

Edible ethanol industry undergoes downturn in 2013

Market price of wheat in China enjoys marked uptrend, June-Nov. 2013

Corn Products China News, a monthly publication issued by CCM on 20th, features “Supply

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