Basmati Growers Association (BGA) of Pakistan Chairman Chaudhry Hamid Malhi has urged the government and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) to tap the potential of huge Chinese market for exporting basmati rice from Pakistan. Talking to Business Recorder on Friday, Malhi said that the Chinese market was emerging as a big importer of rice and their government, departments concerned and exporters should tap it by studying the dimensions of this market, its requirement and conditions set for making a place in that important neighbouring market.
Referring to a news item appeared in Indian press that the Chinese had agreed to import Basmati rice from 14 Indian companies, the BGA Chairman raised the question on performance of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) and the Ministry of Commerce Pakistan. Chaudhry Hamid Malhi, who is also Director of the Farmers Associates of Pakistan (FAP), said it was astonishing that the quarters concerned with increasing exports of different commodities could not en-cash the opportunity and India took the lead.
"We have an estimated production of 2.3-2.4 million tons of Basmati rice this year out of which domestically we may consume only one million tons. The rest of 1.3-1.4 million tons is available for export and earning the precious foreign exchange. But it seemed that the rice exporters and the departments concerned are not even in the knowledge of such a big market in their neighbourhood," Malhi alleged.
Malhi urged the Commerce Ministry to seriously ponder over the reasons that why China had to approach Indians for buying Basmati rice. He said that still big room of exporting their aromatic rice variety to China exists as India alone could not meet requirement of that huge population. He said that their companies should study different conditions set by the Chinese government to have an access to that huge market.