By Fatima Javed

 

Pakistan’s largest rice selling brand, Guard Rice, is targetting the Chinese long grain rice market and seeking exports to China.

 

Talking to Gwadar Pro, Group Marketing Director & CEO, Guard Rice Shahzad Ali Malik said, “Currently we are exporting small quantities of Basmati rice under Guard brand to China, but based on our unique supply chain i.e., Seed to Plate, this year we are targeting the long grain rice market of China that has a huge potential.”

 

He said that this year Pakistan has a bumper rice crop and they are quite confident that they will achieve its export target.

 

“We are the only company doing basic research on development of new Basmati and hybrid rice varieties in Pakistan. We are also engaged in production and commercialization of hybrid rice in Pakistan, in cooperation with our joint venture partner Yuan Longping of China- the inventor and father of hybrid rice technology,” Malik added.

 

He maintained that Guard Rice is the largest selling brand in Pakistan. “Our exports go to 38 countries including highly quality conscious markets like GCC, Europe, North America and Far east countries including China.”

 

Malik has given the past 25 years of his life to promote private sector research and development (R&D) in agriculture. A great exponent of the need to achieve food security, he pioneered the introduction of hybrid rice seeds in Pakistan.

 

This in turn helped farmers in some of the poorest rice growing areas of Sindh and Baluchistan Provinces to double the per acre yield, also doubling their incomes and improving their living standard. Thus, a small but significant step in the national goal of poverty alleviation.

 

Hybridization has also given the country increased export surpluses, significantly increasing export earnings which today stand at US$ 2.2 billion per annum.

 

Guard Rice, was the first to bring hybrid rice technology from China. In 1989, the company signed a collaboration agreement with China's number One technology provider, Yoan Longping High Tech Agriculture company, established by Professor Yuan Longping - Inventor of Hybrid Rice Technology known as the father of the Hybrid Rice.

 

Over the years, this collaboration has grown from strength to strength and today both companies have a very close working relationship. Research work is also proceeding swiftly to develop heat and disease (CLCV) tolerant BT. Cotton hybrid varieties.

 

According to Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) Fakhar Imam, in year 2021 Pakistan has the record rice production of 9 million tons which has endowed the country to earn $4.75 billion from its exports.