DAKAR, (Senegal): The Pakistan Rice Road Show 2025, a flagship initiative by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), concluded successfully at the King Fahd Palace in Dakar, Senegal, on September 1-2, 2025.
This event marked the final stop of a strategic West African trade tour, encompassing Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal, aimed at promoting Pakistan’s premium rice varieties and expanding its footprint in the West African market, where Pakistan recorded over USD500 million in rice exports in the past year.
Organized by TDAP and inaugurated by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Senegal, Saima Sayed, the road show, themed “Pakistan Rice: Powering West Africa’s Food Security,” facilitated impactful business-to-business (B2B) meetings and conferences.
Twenty-eight leading Pakistani rice exporters engaged with key Senegalese stakeholders, including the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, ASEPEX, CICES, ISRA, and CCIAD, to foster long-term supply agreements, reduce intermediary costs, and promote technology transfer in rice storage, milling, and quality management. The event highlighted Pakistan’s significant USD146 million rice exports to Senegal in 2024.
The Embassy of Pakistan in Dakar, in collaboration with TDAP, orchestrated the two-day event, which commenced on September 1, 2025, with an opening ceremony attended by distinguished representatives from Senegalese institutions, business chambers, regulatory authorities, and members of the rice import and distribution community.
The ceremony was followed by intensive B2B sessions, enabling direct engagement between Pakistani rice exporters and Senegal’s key rice importing companies and trade stakeholders.
The opening ceremony featured welcome remarks by Ambassador Saima Sayed. From Senegal, Abdoulaye Sow, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Dakar, and Justin Correa, Director General of Centre International du Commerce Extérieur du Sénégal (CICES), expressed strong support for enhanced collaboration with Pakistan in agriculture and trade facilitation.
Dr. Kemo Badji, Director de la Protection des Végétaux (DPV) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock, provided an overview of existing procedures and regulations for importing food items.
From Pakistan, Athar Hussain Khokhar, Director General (AFD), TDAP, and Haseeb Ali Khan, Vice President of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), highlighted the potential of Pakistan’s high-quality rice and agro-based products for West African markets.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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