Pakistani mango exports to China increased more than 10 times

BEIJING: Pakistan exported 37.4 tonnes of fresh and dried mangoes to China during January to September 2021, which is 10 times more than the 3.6 tonnes exported during the same period last year.

Even so, it is still less than 0.36 per cent of China’s total imports of 10,500 tonnes of mangoes from January to September, according to a reported compiled by the China Economic Net.

In 2021, Sindhri mangoes cost 168 yuan (Rs4,500) in China for 4.5kg, 98 yuan (Rs2,625) for 2.5kg, or around 40 yuan (Rs1,071)/kg. In the same period, the price of mangoes in Panzhihua, Sichuan province, China was around one-third of the former.

It said compared to Australian mangoes priced at Rs2,145/kg, Pakistani mangoes are not expensive in China.
In this regard, the person in charge of Joy Wing Mau Fruit Technologies Corporation Limited said that the price is not an issue, high quality is the key.

China’s imported mangoes from Australia and Peru can be sold for 300 to 400 yuan (Rs8,034 to Rs1,071) in 5kg packs, which are far more expensive than Pakistani mangoes, but sales are still very good.
“Because of the high degree of industrialisation of the Australian mangoes, they are just ripe when being shipped to China with good quality. However, when Pakistani mangoes are shipped to China, the maturity of the fruit is different, and the appearance and packaging of fruit are also the restraining factor. To ensure the maturity and appearance of each box is the key to boost sales.”

At the same time, packaging is also a key factor in mango sales. At the CIIE, the crabapple wrapped in round transparent plastic attracted the attention of many consumers, and they expressed their willingness to buy.
The person in charge of the booth said this is a packaging designed for traveling, making it more convenient to carry.
Talking about the possibility of expansion in sales, it said, in 2021, most Pakistani mangoes in China has bought by individual consumers through WeChat presale and payment.

To expand the market scale of Pakistani mango in China, the person in charge said that imported mangoes need to be sold as soon as possible, and the price is relatively high, so they are more suitable for sale in large warehouse supermarkets such as Sam’s Club. The household purchases can effectively increase the sales of mangoes. For retail, Fresh Hema Supermarket also matches the price of Pakistani mangoes.

Regarding the import demand of the Chinese cherry market, the person in charge of the booth said China consumes 90 per cent of Chilean cherries. Although the scale of Chilean cherries is growing every year, it is still difficult to meet the needs of the Chinese consumers, because the consumer group of Chinese cherries is expanding.

“Eating cherries has even become the new fashion for third-and fourth-tier cities to celebrate the Spring Festival.” As China actively expands imports, Uzbekistan’s cherries has been exported to China for the first time in 2020. It is expected that Pakistani cherries can also be exported to China as soon as possible.