BEIJING, Sep 12 (APP): With the switch on, the rapeseed spun rapidly in the press. Soon, a strong aroma filled the air. Watching the bright golden rapeseed oil flow into a barrel, Pakistani farmers all smiled with satisfaction.
Sayima Rizwan, a housewife from Gujranwala, praised the edible oil made from Chinese rapeseed. “Now my family can’t live without it. With a reasonably price, this oil makes my dishes more fragrant.”
Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Co., Ltd. and EVYOL Group, a Pakistani agricultural enterprise, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on rapeseed industrialization cooperation. The two parties will further develop a comprehensive rapeseed industry chain in Pakistan.
As one of the earliest Chinese seed companies to expand internationally, Qingfa Hesheng has been deeply engaged in the Pakistani market for 21 years. They discovered that Pakistan, a major consumer of edible oil, has an annual demand of 5 million tons, with 89% of which is imported, and annual cost is about USD 4 billion, resulting in an extremely low self-sufficiency rate.
“HC-021C, our low-erucic acid and low-glucosinolate hybrid rapeseed variety, boasts an oil content exceeding 42% and an unsaturated fatty acid content exceeding 76%. Compared to local varieties, this represents an 8% increase in yield and a 6-8% increase in oil content,” said Zhou Xusheng, director of overseas business at Qingfa Hesheng in an interview with Gwadar Pro. “Low erucic acid means it’s more in line with modern healthy dietary needs. At the same time, the rapeseed meal byproduct after extraction has a low glucosinolate content, into higher-quality feed, improving the overall benefits of local animal husbandry.”
In recent years, Qingfa Hesheng has adopted an order-based production cooperation model to promote the planting of HC-021C on approximately 1.5 million mu (approximately 100,000 hectares) in the south Asia country, harvesting 250,000 tons of high-quality rapeseed, equivalent to approximately 95,000 tons of edible oil, with a value of approximately USD 220 million.
“As Pakistan’s largest hybrid rapeseed variety, HC-021C is expected to be promoted on an area of about 1 million mu (66666.7 hectares) in 2025-2026,” Zhou Zhanwang said.
“Our partnership with Chinese company ensures a stable supply of high-quality rapeseed, which not only significantly reduces raw material and logistics costs, but also effectively increases the added value of end products. We’re going to undoubtedly plan to further expand our procurement scale in the future,” said Bashir, general manager of a Pakistani cooperative enterprise.
More than that, to adapt to local planting habits, Qingfa Hesheng independently developed two customized harvesting equipment to reduce rapeseed losses and increase efficiency.
“We have established research and development farms in all rapeseed promotion areas, providing systematic training for local technicians, and also introduced harvesting equipment, which could reduce harvest losses by nearly 30%. Besides, Chinese-made oil pressing equipment could also increase oil yield by about 10%, effectively helping farmers increase production and income,” Zhou introduced.
The China Economic Net learned that the China-Pakistan Cooperation on the Promotion and Industrialization of New Hybrid Rapeseed Varieties has been incorporated into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agricultural cooperation project. Qingfa Hesheng and EVYOL Group plan to further expand the application of hybrid rapeseed within this framework by introducing the rapeseed-cotton continuous cropping technology in Hubei Province, further expanding rapeseed planting application in Pakistan.
Also, this breeding-planting-processing-sales full-chain model has been highly praised by Florence Rolle, the FAO Representative in Pakistan. “This technology transfer and industrial chain co-construction based on local needs provides a model for agricultural cooperation in developing countries.”
APP/asg