China, Pakistan sign protocol to facilitate onion export

Pakistan's Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam (R, Front) and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong (L, Front) exchange documents of the Protocol of Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the Export of Onion from Pakistan to China, during a signing ceremony in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Nov. 23, 2021. The Protocol of Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the Export of Onion from Pakistan to China was signed during the ceremony here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Protocol of Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the Export of Onion from Pakistan to China was signed during a ceremony held here on Tuesday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Pakistan's Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam said that his country's onion export will get a boost when the Chinese market also becomes its export destination.

He said that China is a very sophisticated market, and it buys high-quality onions for its consumers from across the world, adding he hopes that Pakistan's "agricultural community and our people in the government will be able to attain those standards to meet the requirements of the Chinese people."

"Today we are the sixth largest producer of onions in the world. And we are hoping with better quality of onions that we will be able to process them perhaps at a certain stage and also send out onions and processed onions to China," he added.

Speaking at the event, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said that in recent years, China-Pakistan agricultural trade was growing rapidly from 490 million U.S. dollars in 2011 to 830 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

"Though, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, bilateral agricultural trade volume still remained at a high level, with an amount of 770 million U.S. dollars. This year from January to September, China-Pakistan agricultural trade achieved a record of 860 million U.S. dollars, of which the export from Pakistan to China was 630 million U.S. dollars, a twofold increase on year on year basis," he added.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered a new phase of high-quality development, focusing on industrial and agricultural cooperation, he said, adding that both countries are highly complementary with great potential for pragmatic cooperation in the agriculture sector, including plantation, food process, cold chain storage and contract farming, among others.