The Punjab government and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan decided today (Tuesday) to revamp the agricultural research system in the province for development of rice varieties which are commercially more viable.
The decision came at a meeting chaired by Punjab's agriculture secretary, who conveyed the provincial government's decision to set up a rice board to deal with problems faced by the rice sector.
It was attended by REAP's senior vice president, representatives of rice exporters and growers of basmati rice, and the Rice Research Institute of Kala Shah Kaku.
Sixty percent of the rice board's membership will be from the private sector and the rest from the public. Its chairman will be inducted from the private sector so that its affairs can be run in line with market requirements.
Shahjahan Malik, the senior vice chairman of REAP, told Business Recorder that the meeting was partly a government briefing in which they were informed about revision in Britain's Code of Practice on basmati rice.
The REAP delegation did not accept any revision to the definition of Pakistani basmati during the meeting. Its members also emphasized their position that rice variety 1121 was not a true basmati since it lacked the basmati aroma.
According to the British authorities, he said, the Code of Practice was related to labelling guidance for the benefit of consumers, and that a common list of all basmati varieties officially approved by the governments of Pakistan or India will be included without the origin identified.
However, since they did not want controversy, the rice exporters will go ahead with the common list, he said.
Pakistan lags behind India in rice research. As a result, India has a greater number of seed varieties, better yields and early maturity, while the product is more consumer-oriented.
Sources privy to the meeting said the REAP delegation also asked the Punjab government to provide them authentic samples of all officially-approved basmati varieties so they could be submitted to the British authorities. But the government side expressed its inability to provide the samples.
The Punjab government will reportedly convene another meeting on the subject, with broader representation of the growers.
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