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Indian exporters fear Pakistan could seize control of basmati rice market

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  • India maintains $1,200 a ton MEP for basmati rice.
  • Millers fear decision will hamper overseas sales.
  • India and Pakistan are the only growers of basmati rice. 

NEW DEHLI: Indian exporters have criticised their government for maintaining the current floor price for basmati rice, saying the move will allow Pakistan to capture the market.

India and Pakistan are the only growers of basmati rice. New Delhi exports more than 4 million metric tons of basmati – the premium long-grain variety famed for its aroma – to countries such as Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

New Delhi set a floor price, or minimum export price (MEP), of $1,200 a ton in August. It was expected to cut this MEP but the government on Saturday said it would maintain the floor price until further notice.

“Farmers find themselves in a frustrating predicament,” said a leading exporter who asked not to be named.

“We are empowering Pakistan to seize control of the basmati rice market in the short term.”

India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, has also curbed exports of non-basmati rice varieties in an attempt to keep a lid on domestic prices ahead of key state elections.

“We are staring at massive losses,” said Sukrampal Beniwal, who grows basmati varieties in the country’s north. “We have harvested our crop, but there are no buyers.”

Farmers plant summer-sown rice varieties in the rainy months of June and July and start harvesting their crops in October. As the new harvest trickles in, prices start to fall.

Farmers, millers and exporters had believed the government would lower the MEP, which they consider too steep, as the new-season crop comes to market.

“The decision to continue with the $1,200 MEP is a big blow to us,” said Vijay Setia, a leading exporter from the northern state of Haryana, one of India’s breadbaskets, adding that the government needed to cut it to $850-$900 a ton with immediate effect.

Basmati rice farmers are struggling to sell their produce because millers and traders have stopped coming to dozens of wholesale markets to buy, Beniwal said.

Paddy prices of basmati varieties have fallen more than 20% since the government imposed the MEP, traders said.

Basmati is not widely consumed in India and the government doesn’t buy the variety to build state reserves.

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The economic outlook for Pakistan. Report: The Economy Will Continue Its Sustainable Recovery

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Stability in the external and fiscal sectors, along with large financial inflows, have helped Pakistan show a steady recovery in the first quarter of FY2024–25.

The October economic outlook from the Finance Ministry emphasizes encouraging developments, such as the 1.03 billion dollar first tranche from the IMF’s extended financial facility, which improves macroeconomic stability.

A 3.7 percent increase in total fertilizer production and a 115.9 percent increase in imports of agricultural gear are significant achievements.

In August 2024, large-scale manufacturing grew 4.7 percent month over month, even if it decreased by 0.2 percent in July and August of the same year.

September 2024 had a 44-month low of 6.9 percent consumer price index inflation, down from 31.4 percent the year before.

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The FBR prohibits additional extensions to the income tax return filing deadline.

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The FBR has rejected a second extension of the deadline, which is due today (October 31), after two extensions were granted.

Over 5.01 million returns have been filed thus far, and the tax returns process has generated over Rs125 billion in revenue, according to FBR officials.

Taxpayers have been instructed by the tax authority to submit their returns by midnight tonight. Identification of non-filers or late filers will begin on November 1.

When late filers buy a car or a piece of real estate, they will pay double taxes.

Officials stressed the need for people making Rs 50,000 a month to file income tax reports. Those who don’t comply will be labeled late or non-filers.

According to the body officials, non-filers may have their gas and electricity supplies cut off, have their international travel restrictions revoked, and have their SIM cards on their phones disabled.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) extended the final day for filing income tax returns to October 31 on October 14.

The decision takes bank holidays into account and was made in response to demands from tax bar groups and trade organizations.

The Income Tax Ordinance 2001’s Section 214A extended the deadline, giving taxpayers more time to submit their forms.

A number of trade associations and tax bar associations had previously asked FBR to extend the deadline for filing income tax returns for the fiscal year 2024 from September 30 to October 14.

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Malir Industrial Park is introduced by SIFC.

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The establishment of “industrial parks” by the Pakistan Economic Zone Development and Management Company and the Special Investment Facilitation Council aims to attract investors and stimulate the economy.

First up is the Malir Industrial Park, which gives companies access to important trade and transportation channels. This park will be different from heavy industry parks in that it will concentrate on small industries and diverse industrial offices. Among Karachi’s industrial zones, it would be noteworthy for providing security and necessary infrastructure.

In order to lower unemployment, the initiative intends to generate more than 200,000 jobs in the first five years. To increase the advantages of the program, the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry will become a member of the Malir Industrial Park Advisory Council.

The park will have easy access to Karachi Port and Jinnah International Airport due to its strategic location at the convergence of key highways, such as the National Highway and Malir Motorway. This would guarantee effective access to both domestic and foreign markets.

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