ISLAMABAD, Jan 11: With the flour crisis deteriorating by the day, officials and analysts are raising the spectre of a looming shortage of rice.

Analysts say that unchecked exports of rice are threatening to create a serious shortage. In November 2007 alone, the export of rice witnessed a growth of over 19 per cent. Figures for Dec 2007 are not available as yet.

The rice shortage is being experienced all over south and east Asia.

A source in the finance ministry said that former prime minister Shaukat Aziz had allowed export of 0.5 million tons of wheat at $200 a ton on a projection of a 0.8 million surplus stocks in May but the agreement was now importing at more than $500 a ton to meet the rising local demand.

Other rice-producing countries in the region, such as India and Vietnam, have taken measures to discourage export. However, Islamabad has not taken any action so far.

If increase in the export of rice was not checked, sound an expert, shortage of another food grain would be impossible to avert.

A senior official in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) told Dawn that the stock of rice in the country was almost nil at the beginning of the current season because exports over the past two years.

This year the total rice production stood at 5.5 million tons as against 5.4 million tons last year. The local consumption of all types of rice is around 2.3 million tons and the rest is available for export.

The official said that due to shortage of crop in south and east Asia, there was substantial demand of rice and the price had gone up in international market. There is a possibility of a marked increase in exports in the months ahead, he added.

According to official figures, rice export stood at 3.2 million tons in the last season as against 3.6 million tons in the previous seasons of the year 2006.