China ignores Pakistan's concerns, approves Indian basmati imports

[IndoCarib]

BEIJING: China has made a rare trade move opening up import channels for Indian basmati rice although it might hurt exports of similar produce from its close ally, Pakistan. According to sources, this is a politically sensitive move that suggests that Beijing is no more willing to walk the extra mile to protect Pakistan's interests.

China has been importing Pakistani aromatic rice for the past few years. Islamabad is known to have been persuading China not to allow Indian basmati because it will affect its already small export basket. What is more, Pakistan has begun to push China to buy more of its cotton yarn after New Delhi slapped a partial ban on cotton exports.

Though New Delhi and Beijing signed the basmati protocol 2006, it has taken China over five years to give the green signal because the Pakistan factor played a role in its thinking, sources said.

The first Chinese delegation to visit India to examine the product for quarantine purposes was in 2009. Indian officials have earlier complained that China's approval process is very time consuming and it takes years to obtain approval for one agriculture product.

"It is a hard won achievement. We expect this decision will lead to opening up the Chinese market for other agricultural goods," Nagraj Naidu, counselor (trade and commerce) at the Indian embassy in Beijing told TNN. "We hope Indian companies use the opportunity to build brands and develop the market."

Despite political backing, Pakistani basmati suppliers have not been able to make a dent in the Chinese market because of failures at the branding and marketing areas. The challenge lies in taking the product into the homes of upper class Chinese and expatriates instead of focusing only on the restaurant industry, sources said.

"India has a strong brand as the producer of 70 per cent of world's supply of basmati," Naidu said. A recent convention of the food and hospital industry in Shanghai evoked strong response from buyers when freshly cooked Indian basmati filled the auditorium with its aroma, he said.

China buys rice from Vietnam and Thailand in vast quantities. Though the Chinese market for rice is a vast one, Indian can hardly meet the demand because it has little surplus in the non-basmati category of rice, officials said.

China ignores Pakistan's concerns, approves Indian basmati imports - The Times of India

 

[A1Kaid]

Pakistan shouldn't be exporting rice either way.

 

[Nothing]

Pakistan shouldn't be exporting rice either way.

What should do with excess quantity ?
Large stock at home will bring prices down and farmers's profit .. this will bring more trouble for economy ..

You don't have any reason to back your comments...

 

[Redbull]

Great China need to keep ignoring Pakistan untill we get a credible goverment, they know our politicians are just going to eat all the money.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Pakistan shouldn't be exporting rice either way.

we had bumper crop last season - there are limit caps on how much should be exported in order to keep prices stabilized

Pakistan's been exporting rice for decades. I was happy to see Made in Pakistan rice at the local super market.

bharti rice tends to be less expensive and the quality of both are pretty much the same; so its only natural that China would opt for the former....business is business. Nothing personal.

we should focus on other markets, such as Central and Latin America.....we should also find ways to make our products more competitively priced.

 

[Adnan Faruqi]

Deeper then ocean, higher then mountains and sweeter then honey.....................................china--------.............opps china-India friendship

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Deeper then ocean, higher then mountains and sweeter then honey.....................................china--------.............opps china-India friendship

funny thing is, it's the indians that keep bringing it up

are you people so insecure?

 

[Armstrong]

'Pakistan's concerns' - I doubt this is true because I asked my Uncle about this; he is in the business of exporting Basmati Rice and he said that it can't possibly be true because demand for Basmati far exceeds whatever quantities Pakistan can supply ! Additionally, Basmati was never a big hit in China and he had to shift his focus from there to Malaysia, Canada and North America in addition to Britain and most other places that us desis from the Punjab are found !

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

Good News!!

Nice move by China..

 

[Uchiha]

bharti rice tends to be less expensive and the quality of both are pretty much the same; so its only natural that China would opt for the former

Don't know in which world you're living in but in most countries indian rice is far more expensive than pakistani. And i think yuo've never tasted it, the texture and taste suck and no aroma either

 

[Farooq]

I stopped reading after I saw TOIlet

 

[Skull and Bones]

I stopped reading after I saw TOIlet

One must not read in Toilets, don't you have a study room or something?

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Don't know in which world you're living in but in most countries indian rice is far more expensive than pakistani. And i think yuo've never tasted it, the texture and taste suck and no aroma either

Incorrect. There's a ''desi'' run store 25 minutes drive south of where i live.....both Pakistani and indian goods like atta and rice are sold there. Pakistani rice is more expensive.

I buy Pakistani anyways, simply out of patriotism. I always buy Pakistani and tell others to do the same. Everyone in the world has their own tastes and preferences. That's how the world works. At the end of the day, business is business.

and to answer your query, no i have not tasted indian rice or analyzed its textures/smells etc.

 

[IndoCarib]

I stopped reading after I saw TOIlet

Hehe! Actually TOI comes at the end. That means you must have finished reading it

 

[Areesh]

Now just wait and see the goose bumps Indians would have on this thread.