October 17, 2002	Thursday	Sha'aban 10, 1423

KARACHI, Oct 16: Sindh Governor Muhammadmian Soomro has promised to extend support for establishing rice export processing zone in the province between Karachi and Hyderabad.

He said the Sindh government would be asked to arrange proper piece of land for the proposed zone. The zone would attract international as well as local investment and also provide jobs to the people of Sindh.

Presiding over a dinner meeting, arranged by Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) with growers, millers and exporters here on Monday, the governor appreciated the growing cooperation among growers, millers and exporters.

The governor asked the REAP chairman to allot some land of the proposed zone to growers for establishing warehouses from where they could sell the produce to millers of the zone on prevailing market prices to meet urgent deliveries.

He said that better harmony among the stakeholders of rice would help the entire rice community take full advantage of world market which is still to some extent was untapped.

Similarly, he said setting up of Rice Board would bring all stakeholders — exporters, millers and growers — under one umbrella for instant solution of problems.

REAP chairman Abdul Rahim Janoo, while extending full cooperation to all the stakeholders, said REAP with the EPB assistance could invite one technical Thai rice expert to give “lectures to our growers to increase yield by adopting latest farm technologies, and another expert to guide millers to modernize their milling to bring down percentage of broken rice to zero.”

Janoo said his association could also arrange visits of growers and millers to Thailand and Vietnam to study farming and milling. Similarly, he said finances could be arranged for machinery need by millers on contract basis and they can pay back by supplying milled rice on buy-back arrangement.

He said REAP could also assist millers in establishing a warehouse in Karachi to store rice and meet the running expenditure.