China prime market for Pakistan’s sesame seed
PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Pakistan’s sesame seed export to China surged to $50.32 million in the first five months of current calendar year 2022, showing a growth of 47.41% on a year-on-year basis, said Badaruz Zaman, Commercial Counsellor of Pakistan in China.
According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), China imported 33,846.15 tons of sesame seed, an increase of 21.35% by volume, worth $50.32 million.
In the same period of last year, the import was 27,890.873 tons worth $34.07 million.
Pakistan’s commercial counsellor told China Economic Net that normally there is a trend of cultivating traditional crops like wheat and rice. But now Pakistani farmers are getting aware of high-end and high-price products like sesame seed.
They are also learning cultivation methods, so hopefully Pakistan is going to be the top exporter of sesame seed to China in coming years, he said.
Zaman said that Pakistan’s sesame seed export to China achieved a historical figure of 92,516.55 tons worth $120.44 million in 2021, making China one of the main destinations for sesame seed export. “In Pakistan, sesame oil is not in general use. Usually, it is used in bakery products or blowouts on naan. However, the demand for the seed or its products has never stopped. The majority of sesame production has been exported to the world,” he stated.
According to the GACC data, China imported 615,510.43 tons of sesame seeds worth around $918 million from different parts of the world.
Niger has become the largest sesame seed seller to China with export of 150,037.512 tons worth $225.34 million in the first five months of 2022, followed by Togo with $156.12 million and Sudan with $144.33 million.
Pakistan ranks seventh by worth, contributing around 5.47% to the total exports to China in the first five months of this year.
Overall, Pakistan’s exports to China crossed $1.605 billion in the first five months of current calendar year, up 5.42% year on year.
The total volume of trade between China and Pakistan increased nearly 19%, amounting to $12.06 billion as compared to $10.14 billion in 2021, which was lower due to Covid-19.
THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2022.
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