LARKANA, Dec 20: The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has constituted a permanent committee to monitor the rice trade and fix the export price of the commodity. Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association (SBRMTA) president Gada Hussain Mahisar told Dawn that this decision was taken at a meeting held in Karachi on Tuesday with Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture in the chair to consider the proposals of the association to address the problems of the rice growers.

The committee would be headed by Sindh Secretary Agriculture Nazar Hussain Mahar and would comprise three growers, three millers from upper, lower Sindh and Balochistan, representatives of exporters and the EPB.

The committee was entrusted the task to fix the minimum export price of rice by considering the prices of the commodity being offered by the other countries on the world markets.

The meeting, Mr Mahisar said, also agreed to form a limited company as joint venture of public and private participation to end the monopoly of very few profiteers. He said that this project would cost Rs150 million under which warehouses would be constructed in Karachi to store 10,000 to 12,000 tons of the commodity.

Besides, a modern rice processing plant would also be established aimed at ensuring the direct participation of growers and millers in the export of rice.

M Mahisar said that Sindh and Balochistan annually produced 2.5 million tons of rice and half of the total production was available for export after meeting the domestic demand.

He deplored that it had been the practice of the rice exporters that they deprived the growers and millers of just price of their produce by offering them lower rates to earn more profit.

In a letter faxed to the federal minister on Tuesday, Mr Mahisar said that Pakistani exporters were offering 25 per cent broken rice at $217 while Vietnam and Thailand offered the same quality at $240 and $249 respectively on international market.