Rice accounts for nearly ten percent of Pakistan’s exports. Out of Pakistan’s exports of $23.2 billion in FY18, rice exports were $2 billion. Yet our rice yields are below global average at 39 maunds per acre. Therefore, improving farm productivity and cutting post-harvest losses (15-20%) present an opportunity for significantly increasing rice exports over the next five years. PAC has been working with the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) since December, 2018 to develop and implement a multi-year program for increasing Pakistan’s rice exports.
PAC actively coordinated between all stakeholders which includes leading progressive farmers, exporters, and input providers among others and conducted pilot projects in three districts in Sindh during the 2019 and 2020 rice seasons.
Key interventions to improve rice yields which were piloted include mechanized nursery laying, transplantation, and harvesting of rice. After evaluation of the pilot results, the 5 sponsors of this program which include Jaffer Group and 4 leading rice exporters (Garibsons, Conwill Pakistan, RBI, and MM Commodities) have commissioned PAC to prepare a business plan for formation of a rice machinery services company, which was incorporated as Khushhal Kissan Private Limited (KKPL).
Pakistan Agricultural Coalition has since updated the financial model of KKPL and based on this, an application to the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund of the Sindh Investment Department was prepared by PAC to secure support for the scale-up of KKPL.
