Hybrid oilseed spreads fragrance across Pakistan

With the switch on, the rapeseed spun rapidly in the press. Soon, a strong aroma filled the air. Watching the bright golden oil flow into a barrel, Pakistani farmers all smiled with satisfaction.

Sayima Rizwan, a housewife from Gujranwala, praised the edible oil made from Chinese seed. "Now my family can't live without it. With a reasonable price, this oil makes my dishes more fragrant."

Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Co Ltd and Evyol Group, a Pakistani agricultural enterprise, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in rapeseed industrialisation. The two parties will further develop a comprehensive seed industry chain in Pakistan.

As one of the earliest Chinese seed companies to expand internationally, Qingfa Hesheng has been deeply engaged in the Pakistani market for 21 years. They discovered that Pakistan, a major consumer of edible oil, has an annual demand for 5 million tons, of which 89% is imported and the annual cost is about $4 billion, resulting in an extremely low self-sufficiency rate.

"HC-021C, our low erucic acid and low glucosinolate hybrid rapeseed variety, boasts an oil content exceeding 42% and an unsaturated fatty acid content exceeding 76%. Compared to local varieties, this represents an 8% increase in yield and a 6-8% increase in oil content," said Zhou Xusheng, Director of Overseas Business at Qingfa Hesheng.

"Low erucic acid means it's more in line with modern healthy dietary needs. At the same time, the rapeseed meal byproduct after extraction has low glucosinolate content and higher-quality feed, improving the overall benefits of local animal husbandry."

In recent years, Qingfa Hesheng has adopted an order-based production cooperation model to promote the planting of HC-021C on approximately 100,000 hectares in the South Asian country, harvesting 250,000 tons of high-quality seed, equivalent to around 95,000 tons of edible oil, with a value of $220 million.

"As Pakistan's largest hybrid variety, HC-021C is expected to be promoted on an area of about 66,667 hectares in 2025-26," Zhou Zhanwang said.

"Our partnership with the Chinese company ensures a stable supply of high-quality seed, which not only significantly reduces raw material and logistics costs, but also effectively increases the added value of end-products. We're going to undoubtedly plan to further expand our procurement scale in the future," said Bashir, General Manager of a Pakistani cooperative enterprise.

This article originally appeared on China Economic Net