BEIJING: According to the General Administration of Customs of China, Pakistan’s rice exports increased by 3.9 percent to $132.59 million in the first two months of this year.
Bilateral trade increased significantly in the first two months of 2022, with China importing more than 347,434 tonnes of various varieties of rice, up 18 percent in volume and up to $132.5 million in value, compared to 294,240 tonnes worth $127.61 million in the same time last year.
“I think Pakistan will accomplish the aim of one million tonnes of rice export to China this year,” Badaruz Zaman, Commercial Counsellor of the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing, said. “Within a few years, Pakistan would be the top rice exporter in the Chinese market.”
According to Zaman, Pakistan is now the third-largest rice exporter to China, and they are using conventional and, in particular, social media platforms to raise awareness of Pakistani rice in this market.
Shamsul Islam Khan, former vice president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and CEO of Integra Trade and Marketing, stated that the “reason for the increase in rice export to China is that there is no quota system applied to broken rice and the duty is 10%, while Chinese hybrid seed increased the production and cultivation here.”
“I suggested that China add additional Pakistani enterprises to the clearance list, which presently stands at 53, and abolish any duties that would aid Pakistan’s rice exports to China,” Khan added.
