BEIJING: In a significant development in China-Pakistan bilateral trade, the Chinese customs have allowed the export of Pakistan’s boiled beef to China creating a huge opportunity for Pakistani exporters to tap and explore the $15 billion Chinese market, Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a landmark decision, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has permitted access to Pakistani boiled beef to enter the Chinese market.
The imported Pakistani beef must originate from cattle younger than 30 months, and the meat must be boneless, after passing through a stringent heat treatment process.
The center of the meat should reach a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes.
The production enterprises of heat-treated meat have to be located in Pakistan and operate under the supervision of Pakistani officials, adhering to the veterinary health and public health regulations of both countries.
The produce of meat must have registration before exporting the heat-treated beef to China, and only the heat-treated beef produced after the registration date is allowed for export.
The announcement also details extensive requirements about animal disease management, storage, processing conditions, certification, packaging, labeling, and transportation.
Talking to APP, Commercial Counselor, Pakistan Embassy, Beijing, Ghulam Qadir said that Pakistan would start exporting boiled meat to the Chinese market soon would be a huge opportunity to export beef in such a quantity.
He recalled that the decision was taken during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing in November last year.
Opportunity for Pakistani Exporters
About the current potential of meat export, Ghulam Qadir said that Pakistan could export about 66,000 tons of meat annually, however, the Chinese market’s demand was even bigger.
He added that only one Chinese company has a plan to import 50,000 tons of meat from Pakistan. But, “we have to maintain supply for the demand of our own consumers in Pakistan”, he said.
The export of meat would play a significant role in achieving the export target of Pakistan up to US$10 billion to China in the future, he added.
