Pakistan among top 10 grain exporters to China

SHANGHAI:

Pakistan was among the top 10 exporters of grains and its products to China in the year 2022, with shipments worth $456 million and representing a year-on-year growth of 14.12%, according to the China Food Import Report 2023.

The report was released at the China Food Import Summit held on Tuesday at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

“China is a critical market for us. This is my first visit to China and its vibrant consumer market surprised me,” Pakistani sesame and rice trader Muhammad Omair told China Economic Net.

He said that so far this year, his company alone has exported more than 150 containers of sesame seeds to China, and he is trying to push it higher by setting up an exhibition booth at CIIE.

“Cheap cargoes, competitive prices and high-quality products under the bilateral free trade agreement hold the key to Pakistan’s grain export,” he said, adding that “the high oil content of sesame makes it increasingly popular among of oil mining companies in China”.

Reading Chinese companies willing to import Pakistani meat, chillies

In the first three quarters of this year, Pakistan exported sesame worth $56.446 million to China, a 41 percent increase from the same period in 2022, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China (CGAC).

“Broken rice for animal feed is also in good demand in China. In the last three years since I started exporting to China, there has been a steady increase. Last year, we exported between 70-200 containers per month to China despite the impact of the floods,” Omair said.

CGAC statistics show a 20% increase in Chinese imports of broken rice from Pakistan.

“As CIIE is organized offline and in full swing without the hindrance of the pandemic, it offers golden matching opportunities for Pakistani and other international businesses to tap into the huge, open market,” added Omair.

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON KINA ECONOMIC Net

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^u2023.

Like Businesses on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay updated and join the conversation.