Govt eyes $10bn rice exports, assures support to exporters
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has urged rice exporters to set an ambitious target of $10 billion in rice exports and assured them of full support from his ministry and port authorities.
Chaudhry, accompanied by Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, visited the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) to discuss export growth and port facilitation measures, according to an official statement on Tuesday.
During the visit, REAP Chairman Malik Faisal Jahangir briefed the delegation on the performance of the rice sector, describing it as a $4 billion industry with a target to reach $5 billion. He also highlighted plans to bring nearly 30 million acres of land under cultivation to boost production and exports.
Addressing the meeting, Chaudhry emphasised that evolving regional dynamics have created new opportunities for Pakistani ports, noting that the government has prioritised facilitation over revenue generation to attract trade.
Highlighting recent reforms, the minister said several measures have been introduced to improve port efficiency.
These include the launch of roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) services, permission for bulk cargo shipments, and amendments to rules allowing the disposal of old consignments at ports. He added that auctioned containers’ demurrage charges have been written off to clear congestion, while feeder vessel services have also been initiated.
Chaudhry shared that port operations continued uninterrupted even on Eid, with 16 vessels handled during the holidays, a first in Pakistan’s history. He further said that less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo handling has been permitted, and TIR regulations have been amended to streamline transit trade.
The minister underscored Pakistan’s strategic geographic importance and highlighted the introduction of bunkering services at Karachi Port. He said the port has begun providing bunkering facilities to large vessels in deep-sea waters, with an estimated potential of Rs300 billion in trade.
Upon completion within three months, vessel turnaround time is projected to improve from seven days to just two days, generating an estimated economic benefit of Rs30 to 40 billion to businessmen.
Speaking on the occasion, the KPT chairman revealed a 60% reduction in port charges and the removal of demurrage fees to facilitate trade and ease the cost burden on the business community.
Reference Link:- https://www.brecorder.com/news/40416365
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
