Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has requested government to provide some relief measures for the 2nd largest foreign exchange earner rice commodity In a letter written by Chairman REAP Safder Hussain Mehkri to Ghazanfar Bilour, President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry on Friday has urged for taking the rice export matter with the Finance Minister Asad Umer, who is visiting FPCCI on Saturday to discuss trade issues.
Safdar Mehkri highlighting the discrimination with rice export sector has said that government of Pakistan has continued incentives to 5 leading export sectors, however, rice-the 2nd largest foreign exchange earner has completely ignored. Members of REAP contributing in the national exchequer some $ 2 billion annually through exports of rice, but remained somehow ignored by the government, he added.
"I would like to draw your kind attention towards a notification recently issued by OGRA, in which they notified incentive on energy prices to the selective sectors of export i.e. textile including jute, carpets, leather, sports and surgical goods, we fail to understand the neglect of government towards rice export sector to have the same incentive as five export sectors," he added.
He said that rice is 2nd largest forex earner after textile and only agricultural crop which is produced for exports, as net surplus with 60 percent exported. The five sectors given incentive, four of which are far lesser in export earning to the extent that rice approximately 10 times or more in exports to carpet and 6-8 times more than the sports & surgical, Chairman REAP added.
He has informed that in a meeting with Abdul Razzak Dawood, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce & Textile at Islamabad, Advisor has assured REAP team that MINCOM is stand by REAP demands and same incentives to be given to rice sector as was given to other sectors.
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