February 20, 2003	Thursday	Zul Hijjah 18, 1423

ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The federal government has constituted a full-time 17-member Pakistan Rice Board (PRB) comprising senior government officials, growers, millers and exporters to enhance country’s rice export and help start research in rice growing and production.

A decision to this effect was taken here on Wednesday at a meeting presided over by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan. Representatives of growers, exporters and provincial governments participated.

Pervez Masud, an exporter from Lahore, and Abdul Rahim Janoo, chairman of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), would be the chairman and vice chairman of the board respectively.

Three other exporters have also been included in the board. These include vice chairman REAP Masood Ahmad Khokhar, Shahzad Ali Malik of Guard Rice and Zahid Wahid Khawaja of REAP.

From the government side, joint secretary commerce and agriculture secretaries of Punjab and Sindh, a representative of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, commissioner rice and chief executive officers of PRB would represent the board.

Haji Abdul Rasool Khoso from Jacobabad, Sindh, Mohammad Younis Qureshi of D.I Khan, NWFP, Syed Faisal Hassan of Lahore, Punjab and Abdul Khalid Khan Jamali from Jafarabad, Balochistan have been nominated by the respective provincial governments from the growers community.

Gada Hussain Mahesar, who is president of Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association and Mohammad Asif Khan of White Pearl Rice Mills would represent the rice millers.

The rice board would be initially financed by the export development fund (EDF) and later on a self-sustainable basis through levy of fee for the services to be rendered by the board to its clients. The board shall also fund its activities through donations, contributions, grants from the Government of Pakistan, international donor agencies and income from its activities.

The government had earlier decided to set up the board through promulgation of an ordinance and register it as a corporate body under the companies ordinance but later decided to constitute through a resolution followed by a notification of the commerce ministry.

The board would be responsible for facilitation and encouragement of rice exports, rice quality management, establish and manage an institute for research in rice industry related issues including quality control, chalk out and implement market access plan, organize rice exports delegations and participate in trade fairs.

The objective of the board is to help formulate and implement a national policy on development of rice growing and export sector, develop export marketing strategies for rice and promote technological upgradation and human resources development in all sub-parts of the rice export chain.

The board will represent Pakistan’s rice sector on international fora and provide commercial intelligence to producers and exporters of rice. The board will also provide facilities for the settlement of dispute relating to and arising from trade transactions.

The board will also develop linkages with research institutes of the country to help in meaningful research in rice growing, production and marketing and undertake publicity campaign nationally and internationally.