Pakistani fruit, juice exports to China surge this year

Beijing: The latest data from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) shows that during the January-July period of 2024, Pakistan’s frozen orange juice exports to China reached unprecedented levels, showcasing the growing demand for Pakistani produce in the Chinese market.

Commercial Counselor at the Pakistan Embassy in China, Ghulam Qadir told China Economic Net that the surge in exports can be attributed to the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreements between the two countries, as well as the concerted efforts by the Pakistani government and exporters to diversify and expand their international markets.

He added that China’s growing appetite for high-quality, nutritious fruits and juices has provided a lucrative opportunity for Pakistani producers to capitalize on this market.

“From January-July 2024 fruit juices and other related items’ exports to China crossed $1.546 million, an increase of 226% as compared to last year in the same period. Frozen orange juice commodity code (20091100) crossed $1.54 million. Pakistani fresh mangoes are also gaining popularity in the Chinese market and in the first seven months 4,214 kg of mangoes were imported by Chinese enterprises. In contrast, Pakistan’s Prime Minister also gifted Pakistani mangoes to Chinese leadership and Chinese enterprises this year”, he added.

He further said that the robust export growth underscores the immense potential for further collaboration and trade between Pakistan and China in the agricultural sector. He said that as both countries continue strengthening their economic ties, the future looks bright for Pakistani fruit and juice producers to solidify their presence in the Chinese market.

Regional Director of Direct Access Chinese enterprise, Wei Ling Chen told CEN that this year her company imported 3-5 tons of Pakistani mangoes, and before confirming importing Pakistani mangoes to China, MERAPC Solutions conducted a lot of research and came to know that Pakistan, as the birthplace of mangoes, has more than 300 varieties. She said that they chose Sindhri and Chaunsa, which are known as the best mangoes in Pakistan, and promoted these two varieties in the Chinese market so that more domestic consumers can taste the characteristics of Pakistani mangoes.

She said, “To ensure the quality of mangoes, we choose to cooperate with high-quality mango orchards and choose the best varieties, planting techniques, picking, and packaging of mango orchards. In particular, Pakistani mangoes are purely naturally grown therefore the size is not uniform, and the skin is not so bright and beautiful, but the pure mango flavor is delicious.”

She said that pure mango flavor and natural sweetness are also the biggest features of Pakistani mangoes.

She said that they also provided good product packaging, circulation, and other services. She added that they monitored all the processes from picking in the orchard, heat treatment and packaging, cold chain to Pakistan airport, air transport to China, and free shipping by SF Express in China.