The Ministry of Commerce accused both rice exporters and officials from the Ministry of Plant Protection (DPP) of collusion to clarify the below level rice shipments that were subsequently intercepted by the European Union (European Union).
According to a news report, the issue was raised during a meeting of the Permanent Committee for National Trade, headed by Javed Hanif Khan, following a notice of calling from Mna Sharmila Faruqui. It shed light on serious disturbances in rice exports to the European Union, which led to financial losses to the country.
Faruqui claimed that DPP officials issued fake certificates of rice charges, which led to 72 interventions by the European Union last year. However, the Ministry of Commerce officials noted that the interventions had decreased to eight on average monthly since December 2024, as well as the positive growth in rice exports.
The committee was informed that excessive or low fertilizers and the use of pesticides by farmers have contributed to these objections by not meeting the minimum standards of the remaining diseases (MRD).
In addressing concerns about the position of the European Union regarding Pakistani rice, the Minister of Trade, Jawad Pal, denied that any official warning had been issued. However, the private secretary, the trade, Shakeel Ahmed Mangnigo, said that the measures are taken to prevent further disturbances. He stressed that the government was establishing a new organization to replace DPP and deal with food security issues more effectively.
He also indicated that DPP was restructured, with new dates and some officials were removed to enhance their efficiency.
Some legislators criticized the current organizational framework, explained the private secretary’s trade that the lack of national food security has prompted the establishment of a stronger regulatory authority.
Amid allegations of corruption inside the DPP, noting that the case involves “dual -direction collusion”, as exporters were also complicit in providing fake certificates to obtain clearance. To face this, the government imposed a testimony from a German company, although the additional challenges may arise with the shipments usually took 30 days to reach its destinations.
The Ministry of Commerce has identified the main measures to maintain the growth of rice exports and reduce risk in the European Union market. This includes raising the minimum export price requirements (MEP) for rice, enhancing vegetable inspection, promoting compliance with European Union regulations exporters, and launching awareness campaigns at the farm level.
Other steps include legislative and regulatory reforms, DPP restructuring, and exploration of new markets with their existing scope.
The committee decided to hold a follow -up meeting with officials from the Ministry of Security and National Research, DPP, and rice exporters to develop a viable mechanism to prevent similar issues in the future.
Meanwhile, the Trade Corporation in Pakistan (TCP) informed the committee that it officially requested the National Accountability Office (NAB) to transfer a closed investigation against four sugar factories to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
TCP also reported the dues of 305.24 billion rupees from 15 entities from the public sector, including 93.69 billion rupees in the main amounts and 21.55 billion rupees in coding payments. The committee pledged to support to resolve these financial disputes.
