KARACHI, March 5: The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) has urged the government to ensure increased production of rice by adopting proper harvesting techniques, using better seeds and machinery, and by arresting aflatoxin and other issues.

The representatives of the rice exporters in a recent meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro also sought his assistance and put forward some suggestions to resolve issues relating quality production of rice and its export.

Sources in the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock told Dawn that they have received directives from the prime minister’s secretariat to implement the suggestions forwarded to the ministry by the association in its totality before the start of next sowing season in May.

However, rice exporters are apprehensive that the country would again miss the chance of adopting proper strategy required to enhance rice production as much of the time is being consumed by the incumbent government and the incoming democratic setup on political matters.

Exporters fear that highly volatile world prices of essential goods, including rice, would not benefit the country if proper strategy was not adopted in the next couple of weeks.

“Only higher production of quality rice can help overcome domestic demand and boost export trade, said Reap vice chairman Abdul Baseer.

He said there was a need for improvisation of existing seed varieties and ensuring that healthy seed reaches growers.

Minfal should introduce methods of low input costs, such as soil and salinity tests with resistance level and threshold use of fertiliser and pesticides.

Mr Baseer said there should be zonal sowing of seed to ensure proper grading and classification and only then higher yield could be achieved.

Above all, he said the role of the middleman in seed distribution should be eliminated because it results in mixing and other problems.

Presently, he said rice is being harvested with the machinery actually used in wheat which results in damage and higher percentage of wastage.

“There is a need to import small rice harvesters for which loan facility be extended to farmers,” he said, adding “there should be control over pre-mature paddy harvesting to arrest aflaxtoxin and similar problems.

In order to get higher price in the world market, machinery like dryers, cleaners, and husking equipment, should be used on large-scale, he said.

The Reap has also suggested that other equipment like whitening and polishing and grading machines for rice should also be introduced.

The rice body sought greater role of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan in enhancing and developing rice trade and its exports.

The Reap vice chairman said there were storage problems and rice exporters want to go for value-addition but without getting proper space, most of the objectives could not be achieved. However, he said a lot has to be done to improve Basmati rice image and its marketing because lately Indian exporters used Pakistan brand names but supplied inferior quality rice in the world market.