A 15-member Pakistan rice exporters delegation led by Abdul Rahim Janoo, chairman of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, visited Makkah on Wednesday and held talks with the members of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry presided by its chairman Adil Kaki. Due to global economic crisis, Pakistan rice exports also declined by 70 percent, he said, however, he expected that Pakistan would able to recover. Janoo regretted to lose the Saudi market, but he said Pakistan has now recovered from the economic crisis and is in a position to resume rice exports on very competitive prices, and has offered special prices for the Kingdom. The Basmati rice has enjoyed major exports in the Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. The exporter group can offer Saila and Basmati rice of the best quality to Saudi Arabia, he added. Pakistan has enjoyed export of $2.2 billion last year. This year “we have target exporting $2.4 billion. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has all along been the major importer of Pakistani rice.” Pakistan is putting up some 20-25 additional modern parboiling mills to beef up the country's 200 parboiling mills in the country to meet the requirements of foreign buyers. He said that Saudi businessmen had imported rice worth SR161 million in 2006 to SR180 million in 2007. “We hope to renew our contacts and enhance our bilateral relations,” he added. Pakistan's rice exports have crossed $1.18 billion mark in the first six months of the current fiscal year. “This is the first time in the country's history that rice exports have crossed $1 billion mark in six months period,” Janoo said. He said earlier that this year's total rice exports are expected to exceed the target of $2.30 billion. He said that export of basmati variety would start in March 2009 and it was expected that total rice exports would touch $2.40 billion this year. Janoo invited the rice importers to Biryani festival to be held in Marahba restaurant on March 28 in Jeddah. __
