Pakistan's rice exports have crossed $1.18 billion mark in the first six months of the current fiscal year. "This is the first time in the country's history that rice exports have crossed $1 billion mark in six months period", Abdul Rahim Janoo, Chairman of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) told Business Recorder on Monday.
He said that this year's total rice exports are expected to exceed the target of $2.30 billion. He said that export of basmati variety would start in March 2009 and it was expected that total rice exports would touch $2.40 billion this year.
He said that rice exporters were receiving attractive orders from various countries for Pakistani rice. "Despite economic crisis and various other difficulties, the country's rice exports are increasing tremendously mainly due to untiring efforts of the private sector", Janoo said. "We are not able to understand why the government wants TCP and Passco to enter the rice trade, when the private sector is doing well in this regard," he added.
He said that it was the private sector that introduced the Pakistani rice in various markets of the world and invested millions of dollars to establish the brands of rice in different markets.
He said that the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) has once again started efforts to capture potential markets to export Pakistani rice. In this regard, Reap has decided to send three delegations to Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Senegal. These delegations will be led by Janoo.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Janoo with Secretary Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Naveed Arif here on Monday. Various issues regarding rice trade were discussed in the meeting. The meeting observed that the country has a bumper rice crop this year with the total production of 6.2 million tons.
The meeting observed that Saudi Arabia is a market of over 9 million tons rice. Some eight years back, Pakistan's share in total rice exports to Saudi Arabia was 54 percent, which has now declined to only eight percent due to various reasons. The meeting noted that the Saudi potential market can be easily re-captured to export Pakistani rice with some efforts.
South Africa is a market of over 10 million tons rice, in which Pakistan's share is only three percent. Naveed Arif suggested that Senegal is also another potential market for Pakistan's Irri broken rice, and Reap should also send its delegation to that country. The meeting decided that Reap will send its delegation to Senegal in March 2009.
Javeed assured the rice exporters that TDAP would provide every possible facility and co-operation to increase Pakistan's rice exports to different markets.