Pakistani exporters to boost agri - business in KSA

A 15 - MEMBER delegation of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) recently met with major rice importers and leading rice dealers in Saudi Arabia. With a bumper rice crop of 6.5 million tonnes this year, Pakistan seeks to export 4 million tonnes. Today, Pakistan is the third largest rice exporter in the world after Thailand and Viet Nam , and ahead of US and India. Pakistani rice, both basmati and the non - basmati varieties, are currently exported to 89 countries globally. REAP chairman Rahim Janoo emphasised this during meetings with Saudi rice importers. "Until the past decade, Pakistan was a major rice exporter to the Kingdom. Its market share of basmati rice was about 54%," said Janoo. However, since then, parboiled rice consumption increased in the Kingdom and Pakistan lost the market. REAP considers Saudi Arabia as a strategic market for Pakistani rice and plans to expand its market share. Pakistan has set up 200 most modern parboiling mills in the country. "Around 20 to 25 additional mills are in the process of being installed in Karachi alone. These mills can meet all the requirements of Saudi buyers," he noted.Adidas