Exporters face tough time in keeping their share in world market

Company invests in new and more efficient Basmati strain.

LAHORE: Exporters of rice, especially of Basmati, are finding it tough to keep their share in the international market as exports have come down because of a variety of reasons.

Lack of new Basmati varieties, decreasing yield and planted area, increasing cost of production and stiff competition with extra-long grain of Indian variety 1121 are all contributing to the decline in rice exports from Pakistan.

India has brought new Basmati varieties, capturing the international market and posing a threat to Pakistan’s Super Basmati. Other challenges being faced by Pakistan are decreasing quality of rice, improper and less use of inputs, poor quality Basmati seeds, lack of access to new production technologies, dearth of market information and weather forecast, pre- and post-harvest losses and lack of conservation of resources.

This was disclosed by Abid Ilyas Dar, Engro Eximp Agri Product Manager Seed Business and Research and Development, while talking to members of the Agriculture Journalists Association Lahore during their visit to the biggest rice processing plant set up by Engro Corporation at Muridke near Lahore.

He said Engro was aware of the challenging conditions and in a bid to support the agriculture sector had entered the fray with an aim to boost rice exports as well as strengthen the farmers technically and financially.

Under this vision, Engro has launched programmes to educate the farmers, facilitate in improving the yields, bring down the cost of production, conserve resources and improve profits besides promoting a new Basmati variety called 515. This has better productivity and can compete with any variety in the global market.

Dar said Engro Eximp, a rice processing plant, had set a target of buying 175,000 tons of paddy this year to process and produce rice of better quality for export and domestic consumption.

In a novel way, he said, Engro was in contact with many farmers who were being provided land-levelling facilities, soil and water analysis-based fertiliser recommendations, literature, technical services and helped in using different communication methods to improve their knowledge about latest techniques of rice plantation that conserve water and bring down input cost.

In order to promote the new 515 Basmati variety, the seed was distributed among rice growers free of charge.

Engro also demonstrates application of different techniques to the farmers like direct application of seeds, alternative wetting and drying, clumping of lodged plants and quality harvesting to bring down the cost, consume less water and avoid pre and post-harvest losses.

“To encourage the farmers to bring paddy to mills with least moisture content, the Engro group is paying a premium to such growers,” Dar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.

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