"We have contracted 10-15 containers of rice with Russian importers per month of processed par boiled 1121 rice. One of our consignments is lying at Karachi Port and two consignments are on the way to Karachi, against which advance payment is already received," he added.
In reply to a question, he said that his buyer has intimated that Russia has imposed temporary ban on import of grain from Pakistan, on the plea that in a batch of rice Kepra Beetle was found despite the fact that the consignment was duly cleared by the Department of Plant Protection, which issues sanitary and phyto sanitary certificates for each grain consignment.
"This will be a big loss to the rice market if immediate action is not taken on our part through Pakistan embassy in Moscow (Russia)," he said, adding that Pakistan will lose huge Russian market of rice," he said, adding that Pakistan exports approximately 35000 tons per annum or rice and other grains to Russia worth $40-50 million. In reply to a question, he said that his company M.M. Ellahi Traders has already received advance from the buyer. He has offered his Russian buyer his money back but he is insisting on supply of rice.
"I have requested the federal government to intervene in the matter and take serious action at the government level because negligence of one exporter should not hurt the business of all other genuine exporters. I have also demanded of the government to take strict action against the official who earned a bad name for the country by issuing certificate for the infested consignment," he added. Meanwhile, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also sent a letter to the federal government seeking help to resolve this issue immediately so that exports should restart.
