Indian henna powder, chillies, value-added tea and drumstick powder have caught the fancy of the country’s second largest trading partner China and the Asian giant is keen to import these agricultural products from India.
Chinese importers raised inquiries about these value-added farm products at the recently concluded import-only fair in Shanghai.
A Tamil Nadu based exporter of henna powder booked orders above Rs 3 crore at the second edition of China International Import Expo in Shanghai which took place from November 5-10.
India exported around $2000 million of these products in the April-September period of 2019-20.
The import only expo is aimed to reduce China’s burgeoning trade deficit with its major trading partners. It expects to import products and services valuing more than $10 trillion through such fairs.
India’s exports to China in the first six months of 2019-20 were $8.5 billion while imports were $ 36.3 billion. The trade deficit was $53.6 billion in FY19.
The main product categories in the expo were sci-tech life, pharmaceuticals, medical equipments & healthcare products, automobile equipments, quality life , trade in services, food and agriculture products.
The growth in India’s exports to China has been driven by marine products, organic chemicals, plastics, petroleum products, grapes and rice. India’s exports of marine products to China has tripled and touched almost $800 million in the first nine months of 2019 and are expected to cross $1 billion mark by the end of this calendar year.
