Kenya releases Pakistan’s rice containers

This finally brings to an end the standoff between Nairobi and Pakistani rice exporters.

KARACHI: Kenya has released all of Pakistan’s rice containers that were stuck at its ports which finally brought to an end the standoff between Nairobi and Pakistani rice exporters, according to Irfan Ahmed Shaikh, the chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap).

“The delegation that was sent to Kenya to negotiate with the government has achieved success and the containers have been released,” said Shaikh.

The delegation will return to Pakistan on Monday and only then will the details of the negotiations be released to the media, he added.

Last week, the association sent its delegation under the leadership of Rafique Suleman to negotiate with Kenya and get the 800 containers released.

Kenyan customs had imposed restrictions on all imported rice saying that rice containers would not be released from ports until laboratory analysis reports (LAR) with respect to grading were received.

Local rice exporters said that Kenyan customs had suddenly imposed new requirement of LAR without prior information. Before this crisis, only a certificate from the Kenya Bureau of Standards was required for container clearance but the problem began when Nairobi refused to accept these certificates.

Exporters say that Kenya is an important market for long-grain rice. Pakistan exported a record 364,237 tons of long-grain Irri-6 rice, earning $134.1 million, to Kenya between July 2009 and June 2010. Annual rice exports of Pakistan are around $2 billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2010.