BEIJING:Sorghum is a multi-purpose crop that can play an important role infood and fodder provision. At a time when the world is facing the dualchallenges of the epidemic and the food crisis, it is a win-win choice toincorporate this multi-purpose crop into the China Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEClink)cooperation framework and add another layer of guarantee to the foodsecurity of China and Pakistan, said experts.
“In 2020-21, we have carried out planting trials of more than ten sorghumvarieties in Pakistan and achieved preliminary results, of which fivevarieties performed better. The tannin content of domestically grownsorghum is generally around 1.3 to 1.6 percent, however, according totrials data in Pakistan, benefited from local excellent light andtemperature conditions, the tannin number can climb up to 2.3 percent.
Given that the important role of tannin in food processing and industrialproduction, we can promote the cultivation of these varieties in Pakistan,and then ship it back to Chinalinkforfurther processing,”noted Yuan Guobao, Vice Chairman of the Council andChairman of the Committee of Agricultural Experts at the NEXT Federation,in an interview with China Economic Net (CEN).
At a recently held symposium on sorghum Industry Development ofChina-Pakistan, Yuan Guobao not only systematically introduced thepreliminary results of planting trials, but also pointed out the multipleeconomic benefits brought by possible large-scale planting in the future,“The superior drought, barren and saline-alkaline tolerance of Chinesehybrid sorghum varieties make it a good choice for Pakistan’swater-deficient and saline-alkali areas.”
“Secondly, Pakistanlinkhasa vast rice-growing area. In some areas in the south near the Indian Ocean,after rice is harvested, sorghum can be planted in autumn and winter, thusthe income of the local farmers can be increased by crop rotation.
If the planting area can be expanded in the future, the offshore area meansthat our ships will be more convenient to transport the processed sorghumand save transportation costs. Beyond doubt, it is an excellent model ofcooperation with multiple economic benefits, increasing Pakistan’s foreignexchange effectively.”
According to Yuan, if large-scale planting of China’s dominant varietiescan be realized in Pakistan, it is conservatively estimated that the localproduction will increase by about 50 percent. Even better, the high tannincontent in sorghum means this kind of strong-smelling and astringentchemical has natural resistance to birds and insects. Similar to the pestcontrol effect of garlic, it is of great benefit to the effective controlof insect attack.
It is just a tip of the iceberg of opportunities for Pakistan’s sorghumindustry. Yuan mentioned that China implements active quota management onthe import of rice, corn and wheat. Sorghum is under non-import quotamanagement and only needs to sign bilateral quarantine agreement to beimported. According to statistics released by General Administration ofCustoms of China, From January to December 2021, China’s sorghum importvolume was 9.42 million tons, up 4.61 million tons compared with the sameperiod in 2020, up 95.8 percent year on year.
The import amount was USD 3.027 billion, an increase of USD 1.871 blncompared with the same period in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 161.9percent.Animal husbandry contributes 60 percent to Pakistan’s agricultural grossdomestic product (GDP) and more than 8 million rural households in Pakistanare engaged in livestock production. Accordingly, forage sorghum can givefull play to its superiority.
“Compared with another main forage-silage corn, in southern China, foragesorghum can be harvested 4-5 times a year, and the yield per unit area canreach more than 6 tons. If planted in a place with sufficient light andheat conditions like Xinjiang, its yield can exceed 10 tons.
Pakistan and Xinjiang both enjoyed sufficient sunlight and heat, so foragesorghum will bring considerable economic value,” proposed Ping Junai,Researcher of the Sorghum Research Institute of Shanxi AgriculturalUniversity, “In China, farmers directly throw the harvested forage sorghumplants into fish ponds, or process them to feed poultry such as ducks andgeese, which has achieved considerable results.”
Read Top Stories
Based on the planting, experts from China and Pakistan agreed that it iscrucial to further develop downstream deep processing industries and createmore employment opportunities in the future.According to Dr. Shahzor Gul, Assistant Professor, Institute of FoodSciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, in Pakistan, as theclimatic conditions are excellent for sorghum production and emerging watershortage has necessitated the production of sorghum on wide scale, thiscash crop means the most affordable option.
“Sorghum produces about 5.4 tonnes per hectare in Pakistan, more than wheatand rice, which have 3.0 and 2.2 tonnes per hectare, respectively.Meanwhile, because wheat is mainly a winter crop and sorghum is primarily asummer crop, demand for sorghum is significantly lower, and there is nodirect competition,” Dr. Gul told CEN.
However, he pointed out in the meantime that sorghum yields in Pakistan arestill meager due to a lack of better cultivators, an insufficient plantpopulation, unscientific fertilizer application, weed control techniques,and water conservation procedures.
In addition, Dr. Gul also indicated that the consumption pattern of sorghumis quite traditional, and it is not available as a commercially processedfood in the Pakistani market. “This is mainly due to lack of processingtechnologies and availability of machinery. And Sorghum has not been usedin our beverage and baking food industry due to a variety of factorsincluding lack of awareness and taste. Nowadays, there are not much sorghumgrain processing plants in Pakistan. This industry holds immense potentialto offer employment to hundreds of thousand people.”
“Similar views are echoed by Dr. Shahzad Sabir from Punjab AgricultureDepartment, Punjab and Sindh are the major sorghum producing Provinces ofPakistan contributing respectively 47 percent and 26 percent of the total,”he said. “On the other hand, in 2019, we exported USD 23, 500 in sorghum,making Pakistan the 53rd largest exporter of sorghum in the world. At thesame year, sorghum was the 91st most exported product in Pakistan.Obviously, it is far from meeting expectations, especially in the face ofgrowing global food crisis. Countless opportunities are waiting for us todiscover together.”
Although imports have surged, processed products have not been included.“If agricultural joint ventures are established in countries along the Beltand Road, subsidies will be provided to processing lines, which willbenefit the sorghum processing industry,” Yuan told CEN, while Dr. ShahzorGul specifically stated,”sorghum could be processed into bakery products,puffed food, beverages and porridge and so on.
And introduction of new technologies can remove the constraints oftraditional processing method, at the same time improve the nutrientcontent and shelf-life of products. We are blessed with wide scope forcooperation.”
At present, the blueprint of China-Pakistan sorghum cooperation has drawn astrong first stroke, “Our first step, the sorghum planting training programfor Pakistani students is progressing smoothly, with the high-quality seedsources as the top priority. People engaged in agricultural science oftensay that seeds are the chips of agriculture, and I believe that the daywhen China-Pakistan sorghum cooperation bear fruit is not too far away,”Yuan concluded confidently.
