LAHORE: Despite India’s heavy subsidies on exports, Pakistan’s rice shipments remained largely unaffected due to a strategy adopted by local exporters that prioritised agility and quality.

India recently re-entered the international rice market after a two-year hiatus imposed to ensure domestic food security. The lifting of export bans by New Delhi generated considerable excitement in Indian media, which predicted a significant economic blow to Pakistan’s rice exports, which had been performing robustly in the interim.

For the three months preceding India’s return (July to September 2024), Pakistan’s rice exports averaged a strong 550,000 tonnes per month. Indian officials, trade bodies, and think tanks anticipated that a surge in cheaper Indian rice would undercut Pakistan’s global market share.

However, Pakistani exporters countered with a swift, quality-centric strategy, avoiding a direct........

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