Business

Rice oil: Pakistan to buy machinery from India

Delegation of rice exporters to visit Delhi this month.

Kashif Hussain May 07, 2011

KARACHI:

Rice producers have planned to acquire technology from India for producing rice oil and in this regard a delegation of exporters will visit Delhi this month, a top official of a government trade body says.

This development is the result of recent talks between Pakistan and India for promoting trade and investment, where cooperation in technological advancements was also agreed.

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Chief Executive Tariq Iqbal Puri told The Express Tribune that besides trade and investment, traders and investors of the two sides were coming closer to cooperate in technology transfer. “Better trade relations with India can lead to transfer to technology for value addition in different sectors,” he said.

It was in this connection, Puri said, that the government had decided to purchase Indian plant and machinery for value addition, particularly production of Bran oil, in the rice sector. Besides, plant and machinery for packaging will also be examined.

Pakistan is one of the key producers and exporters of rice in the world, but it has been unable to export value-added products because of lack of technology. In comparison, India is exporting rice cake, Bran oil and other food products and making handsome earnings.

Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan’s former vice-chairman Rafiq Suleman said the delegation would visit Mumbai and Delhi and the plant and machinery would be low cost and meet Pakistan’s environmental conditions. Besides, their maintenance and spare parts will not cost much.

Bran oil produced from rice is widely used for cooking and other purposes in Europe, China, Japan and other Asian countries.

This oil, which contains Vitamin E and other natural ingredients, reduces cholesterol and is effective in curing heart diseases. It is also used in cosmetic products.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (6)

optimist | 13 years ago | Reply @ Ameer While I agree that we should have excellent relations with India, lets not attack China unnecessarily. China has given us whatever we wanted. Sadly, we only ask for arms etc. I am sure it is easy for China to help us make DVD player, rather than JF17 thunder!!!!! If we are focused on being a security state, its not China's fault. Let's not blame any country. Blame ourselves!

Majeed | 13 years ago | Reply @ameer: @optimist: @Nobody: @aslambeig: I have always said that if one takes the absolute percentage of people affected by the horror of the partition, in both India and Pakistan, we would realise that it is in sub 3% or 4% range of the 1947 demographics and perhaps even less in the 2010 demographics. Yet, the animosity and rancour caused by vested interests, especially on our side, by the army on our side and some fundamentalist organisations on their side, have infected and impacted adversely the rest of the 96% or 97% of the population. This is a criminal waste and harm to our countries. We have wasted so much time. We must be doing business together and taking on the world. We know well we can. Yet I constantly run into fairly well educated, but asinine Pakistanis and Indians; in Karachi, in Bangalore, in London and oh yes, even in New York; who don't exercise any critical reasoning and swallow bait, hook and sinker, the false logic of blind hatred. They sight this all-weather friend and that political mentor, knowing in their mind that they are trying to convince themselves of their own weakness. While their strength is standing infront of them, hoping for a recognition, and yet the reject the possibility of friendship. May better wisdom dawn upon all of us. More than our leaders, we the ordinary citizens are the truest leaders of our own people.

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ameer | 13 years ago | Reply why china never helps pakistan? they only use pakistan as a stooge to use against india!1 China will never any nation in developing industry!! China is world leader in electronics,but they have not even set up single electronics company here. While india which is our enemy are ready to give TOT without much business interests !! We ,pakistanis should understand this geo political games and we should not trust any nation blindly....we must have good relations with all neighbors and stop behaving anti indian !! So its time ,india-pakistan come out of this war phobia ,learn to trust each other .Ofcourse pakistan has to do a lot to win indian trust..We need to sort our house,curb any terrorists to intrude into india,kick out taliban !!

optimist | 13 years ago | Reply This is a very positive news but I would be cautious in praising untill the deal is actually done. In case of INDIA and PAKISTAN, there is a lot of difference between the cup and lips!

Nobody | 13 years ago | Reply Nice to see positive exchange between the two countries.

aslambeig | 13 years ago | Reply thank u India for technology transfer we are grateful to u but not to Usa they violate our sovereignty almost on daily basis.

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