Pakistan made it to the top ten exporters of grain and its products to China in the year 2022, registering $456 million in value and representing a 14.12% growth y-o-y. China Economic Net (CEN) stated on Wednesday quoting 2023 China Import Food Report released at the China Import Food Summit held at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. “China is a crucial market for us. This is my first visit to China, and its vibrant consumption market amazed me”, Pakistani sesame and rice dealer Muhammad Omair told CEN. He said so far this year, his company alone has exported over 150 containers of sesame to China and he strives to push it higher by setting up an exhibition stand at CIIE.

“Cheap freight, competitive prices, and high-quality products under the bilateral free trade agreement hold the key to Pakistan’s grain export”, he told CEN reporter, adding, “high oil content in sesame makes it increasingly popular among oil extraction companies in China”. In the first three quarters this year, Pakistan has exported sesame worth $56,446,268 to China, recording a 41% growth from the same period in 2022, according to statistics from China’s General Administration of Customs.

“Broken rice for animal feed, too, has a good demand in China. In the past three years since I started exporting to China, a steady increase has been recorded.  Last year we were exporting between 70-200 containers a month to China despite the influence of floods”, Muhammad Omair said. Statistics from China’s General Administration of Customs show a 20% increase in its import of broken rice from Pakistan. “As the CIIE is being organized offline in full swing without the impediment of the pandemic, it offers golden matchmaking opportunities for Pakistani and other international businesses to exploit the vast, open market”, Muhammad Omair added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China