China interested in importing maize from Pakistan

Chinese experts have said that there is a huge demand for maize silage in China, and the current production is not enough, therefore, they are eager to cooperate with Pakistan where varieties of sugar maize can be cultivated.

According to Gwadar Pro, 70 percent of China’s maize imports come from the United States and 29 percent from Ukraine, however, the demand the steadily expanding.

Chinese media revealed that in June, maize production was threatened by drought in northeastern China, estimating the loss to be 6 to 8 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s maize production is higher than in previous decades. In Punjab alone, maize production had increased from 794,000 tonnes to 8.04 million tonnes. The latest figures show the production for the financial year 2020-21. During this growth period, the cultivated area increased by 130 percent.

However, Gwadar Pro reported that Pakistan too is facing threats, and this year’s wheat harvest created a situation of uncertainty when it comes to food security. For the last few months, the export of crops has been thoroughly discussed.

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With that said, the window of opportunity is too large to be ignored due to the trade facilitation brought by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the tremendous changes in the global market. It remains to be seen how a balance in comparative advantages would be achieved between the two neighbouring countries.

Zhao Jioren, the chief expert at the Corn Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, said that currently, about 65 percent of maize in China is used as animal feed and 30 percent as raw material for industrial processing.

“There is a huge demand for maize silage in China; I have mentioned it in several high-level meetings,” he said. “To feed high-quality silage maize to livestock in China, at least 4.95 million acres of land are needed for corn cultivation.”

“The fact is that there are about 15 million dairy cows and about 100 million beef cows in the country,” he added.