ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has concluded an agreement with Indonesia
to export one million metric ton of rice, estimated at around $400 million over four years, a government statement said on Thursday.
The agreement for export of rice will be implemented by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Indonesian government organisation BULOG (State Logistic Agency), a statement issued by the Commerce Ministry said.
The TCP has finalised the first tender of 15,000 metric tons of rice export to Indonesia, which includes 5,000 metric tons of basmati rice and 10,000 metric tons of non-basmati rice.
The finalisation of this tender has a positive effect on the rice prices in Pakistan and the prices have started to stabilise.
Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said that the export order of one million metric ton would end the uncertainty prevailing in the domestic rice market and lucrative prices would prove to be an impetus for growers to expand rice production in the coming years.
Dastgir said the Commerce Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research will bring in new legislation for high yielding varieties of rice and law for Geographical Indication for Pakistani basmati rice.
Pakistan was the first country out of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to have rice export agreement with Indonesia.
Pak-Indonesia trade rose 215 percent to 2.2 billion in 2014 from 700 million in 2010 after the conclusion of Preferential Trade Agreement.
Earlier Indonesian government said it mulling to import rice from Pakistan amid low rice stocks following a prolonged dry season.
Indonesian Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said his government was preparing a government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on rice imports with the Pakistani government. The
Indonesian rice planting season had been put back from October to November because of last year’s prolonged El Nino. As a result, harvest time in several areas across Indonesia suffered delays, leading to depleted rice stocks in the first quarter of 2016. The government there calculated that it has only 1.35 million tons of rice in March. Normally, the government has 1.5 million tons of stocks. To fulfill the shortage of rice, the government was keen to sign import MoUs with Myanmar and Pakistan.
Indonesian officials said the agreements were a precaution measure to anticipate reduced rice stocks, which could in turn lead to surging prices of basic commodities.
The estimated domestic production of rice at the end of March this year will be 1.35 million tons in the Southeast Asian country.
- See more at:
Customs’ revenue collection surges 7.5pc to Rs499bln in July-Dec | Business | thenews.com.pk
Are we even growing enough to fulfill the needs of our own people or is this the case of give to who pays the highest price?