Khalid Tawab, Senior Vice President FPCCI expressed serious concern over drastic decline of rice export to Saudi Arabia during last couple of years. He said that as compared to 54 percent in 2003 the rice export has been declined to ten percent last year. Khalid Tawab said that the matter was discussed with the rice exporters and the representatives of REAP to identify the causes of such decline in rice exports to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is a traditional market for Pakistani rice but due to lenient attitudes of our Commercial Offices at Saudi Arabia we are losing this huge market, he mentioned. He further said that REAP which is the largest representative body of rice exporters in Pakistan want to revive the export of rice in Saudi market for which they are planning visit of a delegation of rice exporters to Saudi Arab since last year.
He said that unfortunately due to incompetency of Waseem Hayat Bajwa, Commercial Counsellor posted in Riyadh the visit of the said delegation of REAP could not be materialised because the delegates could not get visas. Tawab said that the rice exporters contributing US 2.2 billion dollars valuable foreign exchange annually and they are expecting minimum orders of US 400 to 500 million dollars during the visit of REAP delegation to Saudi Arabia due to prevailing lower prices of rice in Pakistan.-PR