Pakistan offers competitive pricing to increase rice exports to Turkey

January 28, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Turkey reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral trade ties, with a particular focus on boosting Pakistan’s rice exports to the Turkish market.

The understanding was reached during a detailed meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Irfan Neziroğlu at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), held on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to a press release issued.

During the talks, the commerce minister highlighted that Pakistan has achieved an excellent rice harvest this season, ensuring high quality and ample exportable surplus.

He noted, however, that aggressive pricing by major competitors such as India and Vietnam has intensified global competition, placing downward pressure on international rice prices despite Pakistan’s strong export volumes.

Jam Kamal Khan informed the Turkish side that, following consultations with rice exporters and industry stakeholders, the government has introduced a pricing support mechanism to maintain Pakistan’s competitiveness.

Under this framework, Pakistan is prepared to align its prices with prevailing global rates so that international buyers face no cost disadvantage when sourcing rice from Pakistan.

He emphasized that Pakistan is ready to supply both basmati and non-basmati rice to Turkey at internationally competitive prices, urging Ankara to consider increasing imports from Pakistan as a special case.

The minister stressed that Pakistan’s priority is to enhance export volumes rather than maximize prices, in order to protect farmers’ incomes and sustain the agricultural value chain.

Both sides discussed the activation of government-to-government (G2G) trade channels alongside existing private-sector mechanisms. Under the proposed approach, Pakistan’s state trading entities would coordinate with relevant Turkish public and private institutions, including state-owned grain procurement bodies, to facilitate bulk procurement at competitive prices.

The commerce minister also raised market-access concerns, including tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), import licensing procedures, and the possibility of zero or reduced tariffs on basmati rice.

He called for improved utilization and possible expansion of the existing TRQ of 18,000 metric tons under the Pakistan–Turkey Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), noting that the quota has remained underutilized in previous years due to procedural hurdles.

Ambassador Neziroğlu welcomed Pakistan’s proposals and reiterated Turkey’s commitment to strengthening economic relations. He observed that bilateral trade remains well below its potential despite strong political ties, recalling the joint target of achieving $5billion in bilateral trade set during the Pakistan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting.

Both sides agreed to enhance engagement between business communities through trade delegations, exhibitions, and B2B interactions to raise awareness of commercial opportunities.

It was also decided that technical delegations would meet in the coming weeks to advance discussions on rice trade, PTA expansion, and wider cooperation in agriculture, food processing, and value-added rice products, including parboiled rice.

The meeting concluded with a shared resolve to fast-track technical consultations, improve quota utilization, and expand Pakistan’s presence in the Turkish market, as well as explore opportunities for re-exports to neighboring regions.

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