KARACHI, April 5: Pakistan is likely to get a sizable share in the Philippines rice tender for 390,000 tons.

This was stated by Trading Corporation of Pakistan chairman Syed Masood Alam Rizvi while talking to APP on telephone from Manila on Friday.

He said that five countries were invited by the National Food Authority (NFA) of the Philippines for participation in the tender.

Rizvi, who is leading a three-member delegation of leading rice exporters, said that China, Vietnam, Thailand and India were other contestants in the tender.

He said that bidding for the tender was held on April 3, 2002, and the evaluation of tender will be held next week. The NFA will announce the result on Thursday.

“I am hopeful that Pakistani exporters will get their due share in the tender,” the TCP chairman said.

This will be for the first time that Pakistan will get a share in NFA’s rice tender after a long interval.

The hectic and concentrated efforts by the TCP chairman and Pakistani mission in Manila helped in recapturing this market.

The NFA had allowed Pakistan as a “source country” for the supply of rice to the Philippines last April 1, and accredit the TCP as rice supply public sector organization for government-to- government purchase deals whenever needed.

Pakistani delegation will return home on Monday after attending evaluation meeting.—APP