Key points
- Shipments to China doubled in volume in seven months
- Higher yields could lift Pakistan’s sesame production further
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s sesame seed exports to China crossed the $100 million mark in the first seven months of 2026, underscoring the rapid expansion of an agricultural trade that has made China the country’s largest market for the commodity.
According to the latest Chinese customs data cited by China Economic Net, Pakistan exported 103,340 metric tons of sesame seeds to China between January and July, earning $105.29 million.
Export volume was 110.8 per cent higher than the 49,031 metric tons recorded in the same period of 2025, while the value increased 72.2 per cent from $61.13 million.
The figures mark a sharp acceleration in Pakistan’s sesame trade with China.
During January-September 2025, Pakistan had exported 55.61 million kilograms of sesame to the Chinese market, worth $68.56 million, with shipments already showing an 87 per cent increase from a year earlier.
China has emerged as the dominant destination for Pakistan’s sesame seeds as demand grows for edible oils, food processing and traditional food products. China imports about 1.5 million tons of sesame annually, providing Pakistani exporters with a large and expanding market.
China takes leading share
The importance of the Chinese market is particularly clear in Pakistan’s latest crop-year figures.
Pakistan harvested about 310,000 metric tons of sesame during the 2025-26 crop year, from August 2025 to July 2026, with nearly 95 per cent of production channelled into international trade, according to industry estimates cited in the latest report.
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Gopal Khamuani, chairman of Kanwal Trading Company, said China accounted for about 58 per cent of Pakistan’s total sesame exports during the crop year, despite substantial stocks already held at Chinese ports.
Pakistan’s sesame exports are not confined to China. The country also supplies markets in Central Asia, East Asia and other parts of the international food market.
The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan identifies China as the major export destination and notes that strong overseas demand has encouraged greater cultivation and production of sesame in Pakistan.
The concentration of exports in neighbouring country, however, also gives Pakistani traders a strong incentive to develop additional markets and move beyond bulk, and unprocessed shipments.
Production expected to rise
Industry estimates point to another strong sesame crop in 2026-27.
Khamuani expects Pakistan’s sesame production to reach about 360,000 metric tons, plus or minus five per cent, compared with around 310,000 tons in the previous crop year.
Average yields have reportedly risen to between 370 and 400 kilograms per acre from roughly 320 kilograms previously.
The improvement has come despite an estimated 15 per cent decline in cultivated area, as better productivity has offset the reduction in acreage.
The timing of Pakistan’s crop also gives exporters an advantage. The harvest arrives mainly in August and September, allowing Pakistani suppliers to enter the international market early in the season.
Room for value addition
The rapid growth in shipments to Chinese market has also exposed an opportunity beyond the export of raw sesame.
Only about 15 per cent of Pakistan’s sesame exports currently consist of hulled sesame, according to the industry estimates. Expanding cleaning, hulling, grading, packaging and other processing could allow exporters to capture a larger share of the value generated after the crop leaves Pakistani farms.
Pakistan’s agricultural exporters have also been working to meet Chinese registration and market-access requirements.
The Trade Development Authority maintains a dedicated sesame export and China-import information programme covering registration with China’s General Administration of Customs and market requirements.
The challenge now is to turn the exceptional growth in shipments into a more stable export industry.
Better post-harvest handling, quality control, processing facilities, reliable logistics and diversification of overseas buyers could help Pakistan increase earnings rather than simply expanding the volume of raw sesame shipped abroad.
