A recent revelation has brought to light that Pakistan lower and falsified rice has been exported to the European Union (EU).
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the Permanent Committee of the National Assembly, chaired by Muhammad Javed Hanif, where EU objections to Pakistani rice exports were deliberated.
The member of the Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig committee revealed that the EU had issued more than 100 alerts on the quality of rice that was exported from Pakistan.
He highlighted the concerns about the false and poor rice that are supplied to the EU markets, and added that there was a growing amount of falsified material in the rice that was sold.
“How do these problems slide under our noses?” Baig questioned, emphasizing the need for better supervision.
The committee member, Sharmila Faruqi, said that the EU had imposed 72 barriers to Pakistani rice exports in 2024, citing quality concerns while indicating that despite the formation of a new national food safety authority, the problems related to the quality of rice exports have not been resolved.
The Secretary of Commerce, Jawad Pahl, responded to the concerns, stating that the EU had not issued formal warnings. “There is no problem, however, it has been disproportionate,” he said.
Additional discussions revealed that the EU had issued a warning about a sending of Punjab rice. The committee members emphasized the need for better collaboration with agricultural sectors to address these export problems. Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig said that this year’s rice production was robust and exports had been strong.
The officials of the Department of Commerce informed the committee that they were working with the provincial authorities to address rice quality concerns and had held multiple meetings with the relevant interested parties.
Another member of the Committee mentioned that Bangladesh had made an order of 50,000 tons of TCP rice, highlighting the urgency of solving rice quality problems to maintain export markets.
The Committee decided to invite rice exporters associations to the next meeting to receive detailed information on the matter. The president emphasized the importance of addressing these thorough concerns with all interested parties.
