By Azeem Ahmed Khan

Pakistan could increase its agricultural exports to China to as much as $10 billion by improving certification, processing, packaging and cold-chain infrastructure, while helping producers better understand Chinese market requirements, according to Bilal Janjua.

Talking to Wealth Pakistan, Bilal Janjua, Vice President of the China-Pakistan Commerce Alliance International, said agriculture presents one of Pakistan’s biggest opportunities to narrow its trade imbalance with China.

He said Pakistani farmers and processors continue to face difficulties in understanding China’s testing procedures, food safety standards, hygienic packaging practices and certification requirements. These gaps, he added, frequently prevent Pakistani agricultural products from realising their full potential in the Chinese market.

Janjua said plans were being developed to establish facilities to meet China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) requirements in Pakistan, including in Karachi, Punjab and the northern region. Such facilities could help producers understand and meet the necessary requirements before exporting their products.

He also stressed the need for awareness campaigns to educate farmers about quality standards, packaging, storage and logistics.

Janjua, who also serves as a consultant on various China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, said the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has already played a bridging role, but greater awareness and institutional support were needed.

Producers must clearly understand the standards required by China, how products should be packaged and stored, and how logistics should be managed before they can secure consistent access to the Chinese market, he said.

Janjua estimated that Pakistan’s agriculture sector could eventually generate $8-10 billion in exports to China. Vegetables, meat, fruits, seafood and other agricultural commodities could help achieve this target if market-access constraints are addressed, he added.

“I am very hopeful that $10 billion is an achievable target for agricultural exports,” he said, stressing the need for sustained efforts to translate existing opportunities into actual trade.

According to Janjua, seafood illustrates both the scale of the opportunity and the constraints facing exporters. He put Pakistan’s current seafood exports at nearly $500 million, against an estimated potential of more than $3-4 billion.

However, inadequate fishing equipment, inefficient processing, high production and diesel costs, insufficient cold-chain capacity and underdeveloped dock facilities continue to hold the sector back, he noted.

He called for greater attention to the blue economy and increased incentives for fishermen and processors, arguing that better infrastructure could substantially increase seafood exports.

Janjua also identified oilseeds as another major export opportunity. He estimated that Pakistan’s sesame seed exports to China have reached around $300-400 million, while the broader oilseed sector has the potential to generate $5-6 billion in exports.

He listed sesame, peanuts, soybeans, mustard, sunflower and rapeseed among the products offering significant potential.

The proposed export strategy is also being linked with agricultural development at the domestic level. Janjua said government institutions, including the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), are being engaged, while a large corporate farm is being developed in Cholistan.

He said sesame is already being cultivated there, while work has also begun on aquaculture and inland shrimp farming. The plan, according to Janjua, is to produce shrimp in the Bahawalpur region and export it to China by air.

“This is not merely an idea. The groundwork has already started,” he said.

Janjua linked the initiative to China’s experience in developing agriculture in desert regions, saying Chinese techniques involving suitable crop varieties and efficient water management are being introduced in Pakistan.

He estimated that Cholistan has around seven million acres of land, of which only about 5% is currently cultivated. Similar agricultural ambitions, he added, extend to the Thar Desert and aquaculture projects along Balochistan’s coastline.

Janjua argued that a combination of improved certification, modern infrastructure, greater market knowledge and enhanced production capacity could help Pakistan move beyond limited commodity exports and develop agriculture into a much stronger pillar of its economic relationship with China.

Credit: INP-WealthPk