Senate body reviews reforms to boost agricultural exports

The Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research, led by Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, visited the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) head office to review key interventions made for improving sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) compliance and curbing maximum residue limit (MRL) violations in agricultural exports, particularly rice.

The visit comes as recent reforms, spurred by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have already led to a marked decline in export interceptions and noticeable improvements in compliance standards.

The committee was briefed in detail by senior DPP officials, including Tahir Abbas (Director General), Muhammad Ishfaque (Deputy Director Quarantine) and Muhammad Basit (Director Quarantine), on the measures taken to align Pakistan's export framework with international food safety and plant protection standards.

The committee noted the significant strides made in improving compliance, especially in light of the prime minister's directives issued in December 2024, which called for legal action against negligent officers and the immediate establishment of pesticide residue testing laboratories.

These directives have shown concrete results. In 2023, Pakistan faced 61 interceptions of rice consignments by the European Union due to higher MRL and aflatoxins. The number rose to 106 in 2024, with 73 linked directly to pesticide residues. However, following reforms, the year 2025 has seen a notable decline, with only 30 interceptions recorded so far – just 13 related to MRL and 15 to aflatoxins.

This decline is attributed to intensified monitoring, awareness campaigns for exporters and closer coordination between the DPP, provincial departments and industry stakeholders. Notably, pesticides such as Acetamiprid, Chlorpyrifos, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam were identified as primary contributors to MRL breaches.

The committee also discussed progress in the maize sector. Maize is Pakistan's third major food grain, with annual production of 10.634 million tonnes over 1.72 million hectares. In 2023-24, exports peaked at 1.837 million tonnes but declined sharply in 2024-25 to just over 786,000 tonnes.

While high domestic prices contributed to this drop, phytosanitary interceptions by Vietnam due to Khapra Beetle infestation also played a role. Following Vietnam's third warning and 72 reported interceptions, the DPP imposed a temporary two-week export ban and suspended responsible fumigators.

Corrective actions such as the registration of 63 compliant storage godowns, traceability protocols and pest-specific fumigation SOPs were implemented. Additional efforts included stakeholder meetings, strict inspection regimes and firm control over the use of jute bags — a major source of infestation.

The committee turned its attention to mango exports, with special emphasis on high-end markets such as Japan, Korea and the US, which have strict protocols including hot water treatment (HWT) and vapour heat treatment, among others. While the DPP has developed SOPs and installed CCTV surveillance systems for monitoring HWT facilities, the chairman raised concerns over operational irregularities.