Pakistan seeks larger rice exports to Türkiye as India, Vietnam intensify competition

Pakistan has offered to match global rice prices through a government-backed support mechanism and supply both basmati and non-basmati rice to Türkiye at internationally competitive rates. The development came during a high-level meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Irfan Neziroğlu, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to review and enhance bilateral trade cooperation, with a special focus on increasing Pakistan’s rice exports to Türkiye. The meeting was held at the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has prioritised strengthening agricultural exports, particularly rice, amid intensifying global competition, read a statement on Wednesday. During the discussions, the federal minister highlighted that Pakistan has recorded an excellent rice harvest this season, ensuring both quality and sufficient exportable surplus. However, he noted that aggressive pricing by competing exporters, especially India and Vietnam, has created challenges in global markets, exerting downward pressure on prices despite Pakistan maintaining strong export volumes.