BEIJING – The Chinese markets are open to Pakistan’s agricultural products,especially good quality fruits, as China had either suspended or reducedagricultural products from some countries.
In the past, China imported a large number of fruits from India andAustralia. Due to the recent outbreak of a virus in India, China hadsuspended the import of fruits from India for the time being, ChengXizhong, special commentator of China Economic Net said on Tuesday.
He said due to the high price of Australian fruits and some other reasons,China may also reduce the import of fruits from Australia.
At the same time, Pakistani mango, citrus and kinno have successivelyobtained market access in China. As a result, Pakistan has got anopportunity to significantly increase its fruits export to China.
He said, China’s export to Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of China’stotal export, while China’s import from Pakistan only accounts for about0.01% of China’s total import.
But considering the relationship between China and Pakistan and China’swish to help Pakistan strengthen its financial position, China is trying toimport as much from Pakistan as possible. As long as Pakistan’sagricultural products, especially fruits, are of good quality, the Chinesemarkets are fully open to Pakistan.
Pakistan exported more than 600 million US dollars of sugar to China lastfiscal year. To boost its sugar export to China in an effort to competewith Pakistan, India has approved a 62.7-billion-rupee subsidy plan thisyear. In addition, Pakistan plans to export 100,000 tons of mango to Chinathis fiscal year, while Vietnam’s fruit export to China from January toJuly this year had dropped by 68%.
Among the top ten sugar producing countries in the world, Brazil is thefirst, India is the second, China is the third, Pakistan is the fifth, andthe United States is the tenth. Therefore, China and Pakistan are bothmajor sugar producing countries in the world.
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People in South Asia love sweet food, which has become their traditionalculture. People in southern China also like sweet food. Although China isone of the largest sugar producing countries, due to its large population,it is a major importer at the same time. In 2018, China imported 2.8million tons and exported 200,000 tons.
China imports sugar from both Pakistan and India. Now, China is trying toincrease its import of agricultural products from Pakistan. There are somespecial arrangements for some goods. For example, recently, it was reportedthat Pakistan has obtained a quota of 300,000 tons of sugar to export toChina.
Now, 80% of the world’s sugar comes from sugarcane and 20% from beet.Pakistan’s sugar is mainly produced from sugarcane, while beet is grown innorthern parts of the country. Pakistan is rich in raw materials for sugarproduction and their quality is relatively good.
On the other hand, China’s sugar manufacturing equipment and technologiesare far more advanced. If Pakistani producers want to improve sugar qualityand increase export, they should import relevant equipment and technologiesfrom China or establish joint ventures with Chinese partners, so as toimprove the country’s international competitiveness.
China has a large population, and Chinese people like to eat fruits. Now,China has become the largest importer of agricultural products. In 2018, itimported 137.1 billion U.S. dollars of agricultural products, including4.86 million tons of fresh fruits, with an increase of 26%, and the volumeincreased by 36% reaching 7 billion U.S. dollars.
