BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China's coastal bulk freight market saw a overall demand growth last month, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE).
The composite index for coastal bulk freight climbed to 992.93 in March, up 4.8 percent from a month earlier, the SSE said.
The index had averaged 993.07 as of April 2 since the beginning of 2019, down from an average of 1,149.05 for 2018.
Last month, the sub-index for grain saw the strongest rally of 8.7 percent to stand at 741.57, followed by that for coal and metal ore.
The sub-index for crude oil remained unchanged in March, according to the exchange.
The SSE initiated the index in 2001 under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport to fully reflecting the fluctuation of the Chinese coastal transport market.
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