Taking notice of rice exporters' complaints, Sindh government has made it clear that there is no ban on the movement of essential food commodities except transportation of wheat which is being regulated by the Sindh Food department.
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Chairman Shahjahan Malik told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that the exporters were facing hardships due to the impounding of trucks carrying rice bags. They were facing such issues, especially in Larkana district which is famous for coarse rice production and zero percent of coarse variety is exported by Sindh province. Sindh had imposed a ban on transportation after the coronavirus outbreak.
The notification F.P/Corona-2019/Misc/2020 issued by the Home department, Government of Sindh, stated that it has been brought in the notice of authorities that trucks carrying rice bags originating/transiting Larkana division are being stopped. So the notification clarified that there is no ban on movement of essential commodities.
Shahjahan Malik said very little quantity of coarse rice produced in Sindh is consumed by the province and 90 percent of it is exported. He said at this time when the whole world is in lockdown, Pakistan is left with rice which can be exported and earn precious foreign exchange.
He said the REAP took up the issue with the authorities concerned and the Sindh government had issued the clarification solving the issue amicably before it is too late to mend.
REAP chairman thanked the Sindh authorities for issuing the clarification. He said that the rice exporters are committed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the government in this hour of trial and will perform their duties. However, he said that such issues hamper our efforts to multiply the rice exports in the next few years from the present mark of just over US 2 billion dollars per annum.