ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The government is expecting almost 50 per cent increase in rice export due to the possible increase in the production target for the year 2005-06, a high-ranking official in the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) told Dawn on Thursday.

The federal committee on agriculture in its recent meeting had set five million tons target of rice production, sown in an area of 2.5 million hectares, across the country.

“But due to the recent spell of rain, snow melting and the raising level of water at various big dams, the production target of the exportable crop is expected to reach 5.8 million tons this year.”

In the year 2004-05, the total production of rice was 5.2 million tons in which 2.2 million tons was reserved for domestic consumption while two million tons was exported annually. But this time the export is expected to reach 2.8 million tons — almost 50 per cent up against the previous year, he added.

In the province-wise cultivation of the crop for the year 2005-06, Basmati and Irri rice has been sown at an area of 1,450 and 280 hectares, respectively, in Punjab for achieving the target of three million tons.

Similarly in Sindh, a total area of 579 hectares has been devoted for cultivation in order to yield 1.45 million tons production.

The crop has been sown at an area of 160 and 64 hectares in Balochistan and NWFP for achieving the target of 4.2 and 1.3 million tons production, respectively.

The official said there was already a big stock of rice for domestic consumption; therefore, for the next year unlike past a small amount of rice would be supplied to different stores for internal use, which, he said, would further increase export.

“China has also expressed its interest in our rice quality and for this purpose it recently signed a memorandum of understanding for importing rice from Pakistan.