Commerce Ministry rules out China bans rice export

Islamabad: The Commerce Ministry has ruled out China has banned the export of rice due to the presence of coronavirus on packings.

On Tuesday, Razak Dawood, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce, was reported on media that he briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce that China has halted the export of rice and fish from Pakistan.

Under the chairmanship of Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce met.

During the meeting, Razak Dawood said a couple of months ago rice exporters came to him and informed him that China imposed a ban on Pakistani rice after detecting Coronavirus (dead virus) on the surface of plastic packing bags. He claimed to resolve this issue and China cleared 80 per cent of consignments.

Commerce Ministry in a statement said Chinese authorities had detailed Pakistani export consignments for port inspection and detections but released them later after conformity with the Chinese Government protocols. China has not banned any rice exports from Pakistan.

Read More: EU asks Pakistan to export fish

Coronavirus was dead on rice packs but alive on fish packings, according to Commerce Ministry officials.

The industry has received no energy subsidies from us. “Pakistan’s exports are quite limited,” remarked Dawood. He hoped government would reduce tariff on seafood this year.

The absence of the secretary of commerce raised severe concerns among committee members.

Why can’t the secretary come, if we’ve all travelled so far? The committee members questioned and cautioned not to sit in the committee if the Secretary of Commerce did not attend the next meeting.

The Additional Secretary Commerce said the Secretary Commerce was in Karachi working on Expo 2020 preparations.

Senator Danesh Kumar requested that the Chairman Committee writes to the Senate Chairman over Secretary Commerce’s behaviour.

Senators Fida Mohammad, Danesh Kumar, Ahmed Khan, and Fida Mohammad stormed out of the Committee in protest of Secretary Commerce’s absence.

Following Chairman Committee’s intervention, the disgruntled members of the committee rejoined the committee.

The committee’s chairman tells members to leave if this occurs again.

Senator Ahmad Khan stated that he travelled from Balochistan to attend a committee meeting since the secretary was unavailable.

The DG Trade Policy briefed the committee that earlier trade policies prioritised three markets, namely China and the EU.

He also stated that exports in 2020-21 were higher than in 2019-2020. The committee members requested information on export orders placed by those countries.

DG Trade Policy stated he did not know the facts of the orders’ receipt.

Moreover, Members of the committee questioned why he was giving a briefing if he didn’t know anything about export orders. Senator Palwasha Khan stated that as it is a documented economy, they should know where the exporters received orders.

Meanwhile, the Additional Secretary of Commerce said that the government had controlled energy rates for industries, lower raw materials costs, and provided incentives.