Rice exports: ‘Pakistan has potential of $4b but barely touches $1b’

Production has stagnated over the past few years.

KARACHI:

Pakistan has an export potential of four billion dollars in basmati rice but hardly touched the one billion mark, according to the Basmati Growers Association (BGA).

“Rice has the potential to become a high value asset for Pakistan’s economy but nothing has been done to increase production,” Hamid Malhi, BGA president, told members of the Agriculture Journalists Association on Wednesday.

On the contrary, Malhi said, rice production has been fairly stagnant over the past few years and might even fall gradually if corrective measures are not taken. Farmer interest in cultivation is also low as prices have remained stagnant since 2008, he said, and a downward trend is expected in 2012-13.

In comparison, he said, India’s production and export has increased considerably. But Pakistan, which is the third largest rice exporter in the world, is under-utilising the basmati sector. “Production ranges between two to 2.6 million tons, while we export around one million tons.”

Pointing out the lack of innovation in the sector, Malhi said that the only available variety is extra-long grain super basmati which was introduced in 1996. “No new high-yielding, extra-long grain variety has been introduced by public sector institutions.”

Comparing rice production in India and Pakistan, he said that India has been able to produce Basmati in areas that are categorised as “non-Basmati” areas. Four per cent of India’s total Basmati production is carried out in Punjab while the rest is grown in areas that are not naturally conducive for Basmati production, he said. In Pakistan, on the other hand, 95% of the produce is from Punjab. “This variety can be susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. Major threats to Basmati crop are bacterial leaf blight, aphids, stem borer leaf folder and paddy blast.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2012.