Shaheer Ahmed
Pakistanis love food. Every city has its distinct cuisine. We are known for rice, being the major exporter of rice around the world. Pakistan is the world’s 10th largest rice producer. Grown in the fields of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, Basmati is the best rice variety in Pakistan. Nothing can beat the taste and smell of basmati rice. Black rice, which is a Chinese royal food has made its way to the Pakistani market which is very interesting. Yani kay ab black rice Pakistan mein bhe dasteyab hon gay aur ap is say pulao aur biryani bana sakein gay. Hai na mazay ki baat?
Black Rice-Chinese Royal Food
Black rice known as ‘forbidden rice’ was consumed by the upper class in China since it was very expensive. A lot of varieties are available in the market today including black rice, Philippine heirloom balatinaw black rice, pirurut ong black glutinous rice, and Thai jasmine black rice. It’s dark black, when cooked it turns purple. It is used to make porridge, cereals, rice cake, bread, and noodles. They are a variety of glutinous rice used mostly in Asia. They are sticky, unlike their other peers.
Black rice has more health benefits having 28 antioxidants making it better than brown and white rice.
Black rice in Pakistan
In Pakistan, black rice are being cultivated for some years. Ayub Khosa, a veteran actor has a website dedicated to it, where you can get them at your doorstep. He has been vocal about it for quite some time and has urged the government and relevant ministries to work on the idea.
You can visit his website for more information: https://gohram.pk/
The farmers in areas of Sindh and Balochistan are now cultivating it. A farmer Rehan Khoso from Jacobabad is of the view that government support is needed to explore the new variety to fetch foreign exchange,
‘Rice is the second biggest export product of Pakistan after textile. As of now, Pakistan does not have a full-fledged domestic market for black rice and it takes a lot of effort and money for export.”
Aamer Hayat Bhandara who is the man behind agri-digitization and cofounder of Agricultural Republic said, “There is no doubt that if the government supports this new variety of rice, it will fetch significant export revenue for Pakistan. Thus, Pakistan has a massive export potential if this variety is cultivated successfully across the country. We must opt for hybrid crop varieties due to their robust demand in global markets.”
Government should be working closely with the farmers and researchers to get the results required. This will in turn help in the export to generate revenue benefitting the government, exporters, and ultimately the farmers.
Sindh Abadgar Board Vice President Mahmood Nawaz Shah said, “The basic thing is to get seeds to the farmers and they will grow it by themselves as hybrid varieties are getting popular here.”
This will help diversify the rice market for the farmers. The contribution to the agriproducts in terms of revenue will help stabilize the economy in the agricultural field.
‘Zara Nam Ho To Yeh Mitti Bari Zarkhaiz Hai Saaqi’
Digitization Of Agricultural In Pakistan
