Pakistan being an agro-based economy has natural abundance of various agricultural products including food grains of which rice is an important food and cash crop cultivated on about 2.5 million hectares representing over 20% of the total cropped area (food grains) in Pakistan. The importance of rice trade in Pakistan can be judged by its significant contribution in achieving the export targets of Pakistan by being the second largest export commodity after textile and placing Pakistan in the top 5 rice exporting countries of the World.

Although, the production of rice in Pakistan has remained static at around 5 million tons annually but the export earnings have increased two fold in the last 3-4 years from US$ 570 million to US$ 2.0 Billion, which was only possible by building up the perception of Pakistani rice in general and cashing on the superiority of Basmati in particular. The task required unified, consolidated, consistent and innovative campaign and efforts at all levels from the stage of growing/cultivation of rice to its husking /processing and milling to better marketing and achieving standardization.

To accomplish the aforesaid and to progressively work for achieving a target of US$ 4.0 Billion by this Calendar year by value addition and improved marketing, it was required that the exporters of rice work under a unified platform i.e. “Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP)”

REAP has been successful in its sort take off period in improving the Pakistan rice trade by the development of rice milling machinery locally and by importing latest technology & equipments from Japan, England, Europe, USA and Asia to minimize losses & value addition.

Achievement:
In spite of international food crisis and prices hike in the local market, REAP has been successful through strenuous efforts to convince Government of Pakistan not to impose ban on rice export. Such policy decision proved beneficial for the country as well as REAP. Moreover efforts are underway to introduce corporate farming & Contract farming to achieve our targets.

Focus:
We are currently trying to enhance production and improve quality of rice. A new variety of Basmati 515 Seed is under examination at RRI Kala Shah Kaku. In this regard, we are working on another variety (99 417 Advance Line) which is under study and by the Grace of Allah will be introduced in the near future.

REAP is a Service based Organization to assist, facilitate and promote the Pakistan Rice image and export World over.