LAHORE: Pakistan has, perhaps for the first time, touched the mark of $3.89 billion in earnings from rice exports, which were made possible mainly due to favourable weather conditions, availability of farm inputs and an Indian ban on export of non-Basmati rice.

This was stated by founder of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), Shehzad Ali Malik, while announcing the unopposed elec-tion of new Reap chairman Malik Faisal Jahangir here on Monday.

Outgoing senior vicechairman Haseeb Khan, Reap patron Pir Syed Nazim Shah, former chairman Shahjahan Malik and others were also present on the occasion.

Mr Malik said that the country exported over5.8 million tonnes of Basmati and non-Basmati varieties of rice during the year July 2023-June 2024 to earn $3.89bn and hoped that the new Reap chairman would do hisbest to take the rice export target to $5 billion per annum.

Mr Jahangir said that he would focus on seed research and good agricultural practices to achieve the target.

It was also announced that a 10-member managing committee has also been elected unopposed.

The members-elect included Chaudhry Shafique, Shahjahan Malik, Maman Mandahar, Ms Shehnaz Zafar, Adnan Sheikh, Tayyab Bashir, Tariq Mehmood, Irfan Noor, Ishfaq Ali and Waqar Ahmad.