With rising per-acre paddy production and a consistent rise in exportable surplus, the rice industry hopes to boost its exports to $10 billion over the next five years.
According to data, rice exports in 2023 are expected to be approximately 4.5 million tons, bringing in $2.5 billion in revenue.
According to rice industry specialist Hamid Malik, the production of 9 million tons of rice—the second-highest in the nation’s history—was made possible by favorable weather, growers’ tenacity, the availability of water and fertilizer, and new markets.
A crucial factor is that Pakistan has historically produced more Basmati, with the highest concentration of premium quality C1121 type planted there than in India, where the most popular variety is 1509 Basmati. Given that domestic prices were 28 percent lower in November—the month of most Basmati arrivals—than in India, this presents exporters with a unique opportunity to ship better premium quality at a lower cost than in India, he claims.
Shahzad Ali Malik, the chair of the Pakistan Hitech Hybrid Seed Association and a member of the Export Advisory Council for non-textile products, claims that rice exports alone could bring in $10 billion by 2028 because rice production is steadily increasing and creating more exportable surplus. He also mentioned that at a recent council meeting, the council had discussed a roadmap in this regard.
According to the roadmap, rice exports might reach $5 billion by 2025, he continues.
He mentions the massive increase in rice production in Sindh and points out that while Punjab as a whole is still open to producing extra-long grain hybrid varieties that could generate a significant export surplus, only Sindh has produced hybrid types up to this point.
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