LAHORE: Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) chairman Ali Hussam Asghar has said that the commodity’s exports reached 3.6 million tonnes last year.

Talking to a delegation of the Lahore Economic Journalists Association, he said, the country earned $2 billion from rice exports.

Hussam suggested the use of technology for increasing rice production and urged the government to provide subsidised harvesters to the rice growers.

Pakistan has benefited a lot from the ban on Indian exports, he said and called for enhancing the industry-academia linkages.

Reap has already announced a prize of Rs10 million for inventing a new variety with more per acre yield, he said.

He lamented that the farmers have started cultivating coarse varieties in basmati grown areas and stressed the need for taking measures for saving basmati rice.

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