A recent revelation has highlighted that lower and counterfeit quality rice has been exported from Pakistan to the European Union (EU).
The question was discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, chaired by Muhammad Javed Hanif, where EU objections to Pakistani rice exports were deliberate.
Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig, a member of the committee, revealed that more than 100 alerts had been issued by the EU concerning the quality of the exported rice from Pakistan.
He underlined the concerns concerning false and quality rice lower than the supply of the EU markets, adding that there was an increasing quantity of counterfeit material in sold rice.
“How do these problems slide under our nose?” Questioned Baig, stressing the need for better surveillance.
Sharmila Faruqi, member of the committee, noted that the EU had imposed 72 obstacles to exports of Pakistani rice in 2024, citing quality concerns while stressing that, despite the training of a new national food security authority, problems linked to the quality of rice exports remained unresolved.
Commerce Secretary Jawad Pahl responded to concerns, saying that no official warning had been issued by the EU. “There is no problem, but he was blown away,” he said.
Other discussions have revealed that the EU had issued a warning in a punjab rice consignment. Committee members highlighted the need for better collaboration with the agricultural sectors to solve these export problems. Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig assured that this year’s rice production was robust and that exports had been strong.
The officials of the sales department informed the committee that they worked with the provincial authorities to respond to the concerns of the quality of the rice and had held several meetings with the stakeholders concerned.
Another member of the committee said that Bangladesh had placed an order for 50,000 tonnes of TCP rice, stressing the urgency to solve the quality of rice problems in order to maintain the export markets.
The committee decided to invite the associations of rice exporters to the next meeting to receive a detailed briefing on the issue. The president stressed the importance of responding to these concerns thoroughly with all stakeholders.
