Pakistan's rice exports witnessed a hefty growth of 31 percent in the eleven months (Jul-May) of current fiscal year (FY18) as compared to the same period of last fiscal year (FY17). Pakistan has exported overall 3.51 million metric tons of rice amounting to $1.74 billion during Jul-May of FY18, whereas some 2.97 million metric tons rice amounting to $1.32 billion was exported in corresponding period of last fiscal year, depicting a significant growth of 31 percent in terms of values and 18 percent in terms of quantity.
Rafique Suleman Senior Vice Chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP has said that Pakistan has been come out of the crisis which was being observed since few years. Further, due to the coordination of REAP office-bearers with Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and Customs, value of rice export trade is showing improvement which is a good sign for our country. Only Basmati rice exports showing 35 percent increase in value for the said term, he added.
"This growth has also become possible due to the recent two tenders of Indonesian authority BULOG for total 200,000 metric tons of Pakistani rice, which fetched a remarkable foreign exchange for our country", he added. However, Rafique has shown serious concerns on the recent news about shortage of water and said that other countries like Thailand, Vietnam, China etc avail 2-3 rice crops in a year and their annual production of rice is approximately 100 million tons, whereas Pakistan's annual rice production is hardly 7 million tons, that is why our rice export is stagnant to some 4 million tons since last many years. As per information during this year, hybrid rice is being frown in maximum areas, whose yield is far better than conventional rice seeds, he said.
"Pakistan mainly get waters from mountains and rivers but about 20 percent share of water has been wasted in sea every year and we have to take preventive measures on war-footing basis to save this water", he said. Many countries are constructing dams every year to save the water but in Pakistan construction of very important Kala Bagh Dam has been delayed since many decades, he said and added that Dam is very instrumental in bringing the growth of our country's economy.
"We can preserve the water and like other countries, we can also get more than one crops of rice per year which will make revolution in our agricultural industry. We may generate huge quantity of very low cost electricity which will be useful to cover the shortfall of energy crisis of our country", he added.
Every province of the country will be able to get additional millions of acre feet water after the construction of Kala Bagh Dam, Vice Chairman REAP said.
Pakistani rice exporters are putting their extra ordinary efforts for fetching valuable foreign exchange for the growth of economy of the country and making huge investment for installing world's latest rice machinery and most modern technology for value-addition in rice. REAP has already requested State Bank of Pakistan for allowing Islamic Financing facility for storage of agricultural produce, so that maximum rice exporters may get benefit of this facility, he added.
He informed that REAP is continuously sending trade delegation to various countries for the forceful marketing of Pakistani rice. In this regard, a delegation is planned to visit Brazil, Argentine and Chili under the leadership of Ch Sami, Chairman, whereas another delegation is planned to visit West African countries.
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