Daily Times

Agribusiness is the fundamentalist of our economy, and our country’s economic values strongly depended on it. There are vast voids between the acquired and actual output of produce, which suffers due to a lack of appropriate technology, use of inputs at obscene times, unavailability of water and land use, and inadequate education about insect pest control, which not only negatively affects the produce but also significantly reduces the amount of harvest. Apart from these all, Pakistan has been blessed with natural attribution related to growing hard texture rice which includes four seasons weather, rich and plentiful soil, promising geological location, and the world’s largest and reasonable canal network. These natural traits have made Pakistan enough durable suppliers not only for Asia but worldwide. Statistically, rice is one of the major export merchandises of Pakistan as the country earns US$ 1.94 billion from exports of rice in 2018-19, which makes about  8% of our total exports. Plus, in Basmati rice, Pakistan shares about 25 % of the total world Basmati rice swap which makes Pakistan’s second-highest source of income.

The outburst of Covid-19 has strongly impacted the world at large in world trade, including a profound impact on food and agricultural products. Unlike other sectors, agriculture is heavily impacted by the timing of the lockdown and not its duration because of the fixed planting and harvesting calendar. Whereas, on the other hand, India, our geographical neighbor, imposed a strict lockdown ignoring all fundamentalist negative aspects which would arise from it. Consequently, India has almost lost all the basic economic integrity in the free trade of rice by nullifying the contractual relationship with other countries. According to recent reports, due to strict essences of lockdown, the northern state of Punjab, being the second largest rice-growing state in India,  has forced the rice Exporters to turn towards cotton production. However, Pakistan’s government strongly and handsomely coped up with the post-Covid-19 food security restrictions by imposing a smart lockdown which results in a massive export of Pakistan, and thus, it bestows Pakistan towards higher economic trade values as compared to India. Particularly, the aromatic and long grains of basmati rice have peaked our economic values as Pakistan exports about 5-7 lac tons of rice worldwide including 2-2.5 lac tons to only European Union countries.

Thus, this leading export has helped Pakistan to thrive at a major free trade level. Perhaps, on the other hand, India could not endure its positive effect on Pakistan and signed a petition to have an exclusive Geographical Indication( GI) to Basmati rice in the European Union. India has alleged that this type of particular rice (Basmati) is solely a product of India ddue to its specific climate nature and traits of this product. The Indian Application asserted that this specific type of long grains and aromatic rice is grown in the specified states of India, which particularly include Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pardesh, along with the fixed states of Uttar Pardesh and Jammu & Kashmir. India has also rescinded the fact of EU Regulation No. 972/2006 of June 29, 2006, which laid down the special rules for importing of Basmati rice for deducing their origin, which had already recognized that Basmati Rice is not only a product of India but also of Pakistan due to its specified climate nature. India is now claiming its own exclusively origin-based product and thus, filed a case of Geographical Indication(GI) against Pakistan under Article 50(2) (a) of EU Regulations No. 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the council on the quality scheme for agriculture products on September 11. Pakistan’s parliament has already enacted the legislation of Geographical Indication ( Registration and Protection) act which will help to cope with this case. Even recently, Pakistan’s leading exporters have chaired a meeting and made a strong assertion against the failed case of India in the European Court of Justice. While chairing the meeting, as Dawn News Reported, Mr. Abdul Razaq Dawood has expressly indicated that Pakistan will vehemently face this crucial issue at every forum, and Indian will no longer be successful in getting the exclusive ownership of Geographical Indication. Recently, Pakistan has made a contact with two Brussels-based international law firms named Messrs Altius and Messes Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, as per reported by news last month, to cope with this critical issue in the European Court of Justice. Pakistan’s leading government executive, Imran khan, has to choose one of them, but till now, no comeback has been taken. Pakistan has only three months to craft against the opposition’s application of Geographical indication Tag under the per article of 10 and 50(2)(a) of EU Regulations No. 1151(2012). But unfortunately, Pakistan’s leading executive, in my opinion, doesn’t make an eye towards this issue which can result in a tremendous loss for Pakistan at economic autonomous trade values.

Additionally, the post-Covid-19 period can prove in the endorsement of Pakistan by manifesting the proper policies and guidelines by considering international free trade market regulations. In such a period, the major rice exporters like Vietnam, China, and India are putting curbs on their exports and thus, Pakistan can avail this novel opportunity of its rice exports to various potential markets. However, if Pakistan fails to do so,  then there are lots of anticipation that it can undergo huge economic values at different free marketing phases.
By contemplating all scenarios, there are many more odds that Pakistan, having the second the highest source of revenue in exporting rice, needs to be vigilant and investigate the matter of rice trade at all international trades. Also, to make sure that Pakistan’s Rice exports are not unguarded to post-Corona economic repercussions, the government should make sure that there are no turmoil in the rice supply chain due to implications of lockdown. There is an ominous need of having the proper policies and regulations, otherwise, we will face severe loss, particularly in billions of dollars, in our agricultural vicinity.