WEB DESK
India has made a strong pitch to export about 1.5 million tonnes of sugar to China in a bid to reduce its surplus stocks.
In the meeting organised by Indian Embassy in Beijing yesterday, officials of the 25 Chinese sugar companies interacted with top officials of the Indian Sugar Mills Association to discuss the possibility to import Indian sugar worth about 350 million US Dollars.
Official sources said, today’s meeting took place following the informal summit during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan Xi to import Indian sugar, rice and pharmaceuticals.
President of ISMA, Gaurav Goel, told the media after delegation level talks that India has 7 million tonnes of surplus sugar this year and with forecast of good rains the surplus stocks are expected to pileup further next year.
Indian Sugar Exim Corporation CEO Abinash Verma said, China imports about 4.5 million tonnes of surplus stocks mostly from Brazil, Thailand and Cuba. He said, this is the first-time India is making a strong bid to export sugar to China though India has exported about two lakh tonnes in 2007.