Beijing, Jan 18 (IANS): Over 210,000 tonnes of smuggled rice worth 1.26 billion yuan ($205 million) was seized in China last year, a customs official has revealed.
The anti-smuggling bureau of General Administration of Customs (GAC) cracked 467 cases linked to rice in 2014 in a special drive against the smuggling of agricultural products, GAC's deputy head Zhu Feng said Saturday .
The campaign, dubbed "Green Wind", mainly targetted grains, frozen meat products, sugar, cotton and cooking oil.
Zhu, however, said the total value of smuggled products recovered during the campaign was 44.9 billion yuan, up 96 percent from a year earlier.
The official said illegal activities like tax evasion hurt the domestic agricultural industry and also pose serious food safety hazards.