Russia expresses concern over food safety, warns Pakistan of rice import ban

After a quarantine organism was found in the rice consignment, Russia has threatened to restrict rice imports from Pakistan once more if its phytosanitary concerns are not met in next consignments.

The warning was issued in response to a notification from Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) about a shipment of rice that had been imported from Pakistan and had violated both Russian and international phytosanitary regulations.

The notification, dated April 2, notes that the rice shipment contains “Megaselia scalaris (Loew),” a quarantine organism.

Washington has stated that it does not support the project going forward and has warned Pakistan that it may face US penalties.

The commercial representative of Pakistan at its embassy in Russia was requested to look into the situation right away.

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To safeguard the safety of agricultural products sold between the two nations, the Russian authorities have written to the Pakistani embassy, urging them to stop such infractions and make sure all Pakistani rice exporters adhere to phytosanitary regulations.

The Pakistani embassy in Moscow has warned of a potential ban on rice exports in the future if more complaints from Russian authorities are received. The trade wing of the embassy has forwarded the letter from the Russian authority to the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) in the Ministry of Food Security and other pertinent government offices.

In 2019, Russia banned the import of rice from Pakistan due to health and safety concerns.

Similar to this, Russia banned the import of rice from Pakistan in December 2006 due to noncompliance with food safety regulations.

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Chela Ram Kewlani, the chairman of the Pakistan Rice Exporters Association, advised Pakistani rice exporters to exercise extreme caution when selecting and packing any rice for export.

He claimed that since India accounts for almost 40% of the world’s rice trade, Pakistan had profited from India’s prohibition on shipments of non-Basmati rice last year.

India prohibited the export of white, non-Basmati, parboiled rice last year.

The largest monthly shipment of rice for the fiscal year, over 700,000 tons, was reported by a prominent Pakistani rice trader in December 2023.

According to him, Pakistan exported rice last year at a higher price due to increased demand and supply.

The Rice Export Corporation forecasts a 36% increase in non-Basmati rice shipments to 4.25 million tonnes from Pakistan and a 60% increase in Basmati rice exports to over a million tonnes.

In the fiscal year 2023–2024, it hopes to export more than five million metric tonnes of rice, a significant increase above the 3.7 million metric tonnes exported in the previous fiscal year.