December 24, 2019: The Chinese markets are open to Pakistan’s agricultural products, especially good quality fruits, as China had either suspended or reduced agricultural products from some countries.

In the past, China imported a large number of fruits from India and Australia. Due to the recent outbreak of a virus in India, China had suspended the import of fruits from India for the time being, Cheng Xizhong, 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 successively obtained market access in China. As a result, Pakistan has got an opportunity to significantly increase its fruits export to China.

He said, China's export to Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of China's total export, while China's import from Pakistan only accounts for about 0.01% of China's total import.

But considering the relationship between China and Pakistan and China’s wish to help Pakistan strengthen its financial position, China is trying to import as much from Pakistan as possible. As long as Pakistan's agricultural products, especially fruits, are of good quality, the Chinese markets are fully open to Pakistan.

Pakistan exported more than 600 million US dollars of sugar to China last fiscal year. To boost its sugar export to China in an effort to compete with Pakistan, India has approved a 62.7-billion-rupee subsidy plan this year. In addition, Pakistan plans to export 100,000 tons of mango to China this fiscal year, while Vietnam's fruit export to China from January to July this year had dropped by 68%.

Among the top ten sugar producing countries in the world, Brazil is the first, India is the second, China is the third, Pakistan is the fifth, and the United States is the tenth. Therefore, China and Pakistan are both major sugar producing countries in the world.

People in South Asia love sweet food, which has become their traditional culture. People in southern China also like sweet food. Although China is one of the largest sugar producing countries, due to its large population, it is a major importer at the same time. In 2018, China imported 2.8 million tons and exported 200,000 tons.

China imports sugar from both Pakistan and India. Now, China is trying to increase its import of agricultural products from Pakistan. There are some special arrangements for some goods. For example, recently, it was reported that Pakistan has obtained a quota of 300,000 tons of sugar to export to China.

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 in northern parts of the country. Pakistan is rich in raw materials for sugar production and their quality is relatively good.

On the other hand, China's sugar manufacturing equipment and technologies are far more advanced. If Pakistani producers want to improve sugar quality and increase export, they should import relevant equipment and technologies from China or establish joint ventures with Chinese partners, so as to improve 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, it imported 137.1 billion U.S. dollars of agricultural products, including 4.86 million tons of fresh fruits, with an increase of 26%, and the volume increased by 36% reaching 7 billion U.S. dollars.

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