In what can be termed as nothing less than “pie in the sky” for Pakistan, the nation is seeking to increase its rice exports to the United States (US) to 100,000 metric tons this financial year, up from 80,000 metric tons last year, after President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent US tariff on regional competitor India, the head of the country’s rice exporters association said this week.
Pakistan is one among the top 10 rice-producing countries in the world. As per the latest Economic Survey of Pakistan, the country’s total rice production stands at 9.72 million metric tons in the outgoing fiscal year that ended in June. According to the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) more than 60 percent of the harvest is surplus and available for export in different countries. The country exported over 5.544 million metric tons of rice, valued at $3.203 billion, worldwide from July 2024 till May 2025. Whereas India exported 234,467 metric tons of rice to the US alone in the fiscal year 2023-24, valued at $0.31 billion, according to the Indian commerce ministry.
Amidst the Trump US Tariff imposed on India, Pakistan is now expecting a bigger share in the US rice market. This [tariff difference] presents a major opportunity for Pakistan to fill the gap and expand its rice exports to the United States,” Malik Faisal Jahangir, chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), told Arab News on Wednesday.
“Last year, Pakistan exported 80,000 metric tons of basmati rice to the US and this year, we aim to exceed at least 100,000 metric tons by leveraging this tariff advantage.” Rice exporters and analysts from Pakistan view the US Tariff as a major opportunity to get a bigger share in the US rice market. However, Pakistan rice exporters have also been warned about the stringent quality standards to get the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval.