Russia threatens to ban rice imports from Pakistan due to safety concerns
Published on: April 29, 2024.
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Russia Issues Warning to Pakistan Over Violations of Phytosanitary Requirements
Russia has issued a warning to Pakistan regarding violations of international and Russian phytosanitary requirements in a recent shipment of rice. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) detected a quarantine organism, “Megaselia scalaris (Loew),” in the rice consignment. If future consignments fail to address these concerns, Russia has threatened to ban rice imports from Pakistan once again.
In response to the notification, Pakistan’s trade representative in Russia has been tasked with conducting an immediate investigation into the matter. The Russian authorities have requested that the Pakistan embassy take action to prevent further violations and ensure that all Pakistani rice exporters adhere to phytosanitary standards for the safety of agricultural products traded between the two countries.
This is not the first time Russia has imposed a ban on rice imports from Pakistan. In 2019, Russia banned rice imports due to health safety reasons. Similarly, in December 2006, import of rice from Pakistan was stopped for failing to meet food safety standards.
Chela Ram Kewlani, Chairman of the Pakistan Rice Exporters Association, emphasized the need for Pakistani rice exporters to exercise caution in selecting and packaging rice for export. He also mentioned that Pakistan has benefitted from India’s ban on non-Basmati rice exports, which has increased the demand for Pakistani rice in the global market.
Last year, Pakistan exported approximately 700,000 tonnes of rice in December alone, the highest for the fiscal year. The Rice Export Corporation projects a 60% increase in Basmati rice exports to over a million tonnes and a 36% increase in non-Basmati rice exports to 4.25 million tonnes from Pakistan. The corporation aims to export more than five million metric tonnes of all rice in the 2023/2024 fiscal year, surpassing the previous year’s exports of 3.7 million tonnes.
Source: [NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/news/)
