Pakistan’s rice exports remained subdued in the first half of the current fiscal year (1HFY21) due to low prices offered by India for non-basmati and issues of higher freight and shipments from October 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country’s overall rice export plunged by 10 per cent in quantity to 1.824 million tonnes and 6.74pc in value to $963m in July-Dec 2020-21 versus the same period in the last fiscal year.

Out of total exports, the share of basmati exports plunged by 38pc in quantity to 265,672 tonnes and 31pc in value to $262m while non-basmati exports fell by 3pc in quantity to 1.558m tonnes and 7.45pc in value to $700m in 1HFY21 as compared to the same period last fiscal.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1606296/basmati-exports-plunge-by-38pc-in-1hfy21