Pakistan, Turkiye agree to boost rice trade

ISLAMABAD:  Türkiye reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening economic ties with Pakistan. It was also agreed that technical delegations would meet to advance discussions on rice trade.

Federal Minister of Pakistan for Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan held a detailed meeting with the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Irfan Nezirolu, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to review and enhance bilateral trade cooperation, with a special focus on increasing Pakistan’s rice exports to Türkiye.

During the discussions, the Federal Minister highlighted that a strong rice harvest has been recorded this season, creating a surplus available for export.

However, the commerce minister noted that aggressive pricing by major exporters such as India and Vietnam has intensified competition in international markets, putting downward pressure on prices despite Pakistan maintaining strong export volumes.

Jam Kamal Khan informed the Turkish side that the government of Pakistan has developed a pricing support mechanism in consultation with exporters and industry representatives. Under the plan, Pakistan would align its export prices with prevailing global rates to avoid disadvantaging buyers.

Jam Kamal told Turkish Ambassador that Pakistan is fully prepared to supply both basmati and non-basmati rice to Türkiye at internationally competitive rates.

He urged Türkiye to consider increasing import volumes from Pakistan as a special case, stressing that Pakistan’s primary objective is volume enhancement rather than price maximization, in order to safeguard farmer incomes and sustain the agricultural value chain.

Both sides also discussed activating government-to-government (G2G) trade channels alongside existing private-sector mechanisms including the possibility of bulk procurement through state-linked institutions.

The Federal Minister also raised key market-access issues, including tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), import licensing procedures, and the possibility of zero or reduced tariffs on basmati rice.

He called for expansion and better utilization of the existing TRQ of 18,000 metric tons under the Pakistan–Türkiye Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), noting that the quota had remained underutilized in previous cycles due to procedural constraints.

The Turkish Ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu has welcomed Pakistan’s proposals and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to strengthening economic ties with Pakistan.

He noted that bilateral trade volumes remain below potential despite strong political relations, and recalled the jointly agreed target of achieving $5billion in bilateral trade, set during the Pakistan–Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting.

Both sides agreed on the need for increased engagement between business communities, including trade delegations, exhibitions, and B2B interactions, to improve awareness of commercial opportunities.

It was also agreed that technical delegations would meet in the coming weeks to advance discussions on rice trade, PTA expansion, and broader cooperation in agriculture, food processing, and value-added rice products such as parboiled rice.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to fast-track technical consultations, improve quota utilization, and expand Pakistan’s footprint in the Turkish and regional rice markets, including opportunities for re-exports to neighboring countries.