China ready to share experience on organic food: PCJCCI

LAHORE: In Pakistan, organic farming is still in its infancy stage with a very limited number of established organic farms stated by Nazir Hussain, President Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) during a meeting held at PCJCCI Secretariat today.

He added that China is prepared to share its rich experience with Pakistan and other countries for producing organic food because China is the second largest producer of organic products in Asia. Organic products are often regarded as a high-end rich market in Pakistan, only few are organic farmers.

The main reason lays in their premium price driven up by small, scattered production, which is a major factor constraining the popularity of organic food products.

President PCJCCI said that amid the ubiquitous challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic, organic food sector in Pakistan is presented with rare opportunities.

Data show that 70% of consumers choose to increase spending on nutrition products after the pandemic, and nearly 90% of consumers’ expenditure on nutrition products has increased by 10% – 20% compared with that in the past. Pakistan also has natural endowments and resources, so it is very compatible with the development of health industry.

Brig. Mansoor Saeed Sheikh (retd) Senior Vice President PCJCCI stressed that Pakistani enterprises can participate in various international exhibitions to have more information exchange. I believe healthcare products will have great market potential along the Belt and Road in the future.

In particular, if small-scale farmers are equipped with sufficient expertise, the potential of the small plots of land will be further unleashed, overcoming the bottleneck of conventional dispersed farming and packing. With the initiative of agricultural cooperation including the recently established China-Pakistan Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation Information Platform, Pak-China cooperation in agriculture is yet to make a big headway.

Zafar Iqbal, Vice President PCJCCI added that for more organic products to be recognized and welcomed in domestic, regional and international market, a home-grown certification organization that meets international standards should also be put in place to assess and label these natural products.

According to experts, it will not only augment producers’ credibility and consumers’ confidence, but also hold the entire community accountable for environmental implication and food security.

Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General PCJCCI said that in Pakistan, a growing number of sellers are turning to online stores for direct marketing. The ongoing digital transformation accelerated will provide more solutions to organic practices and businesses, benefiting the entire agriculture sector.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025