ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured arrangements to export an additional 70,000 metric tonnes of rice to Malaysia between October and December 2026 following diplomatic and trade engagements between the two countries.
The Prime Minister’s Office said relevant ministries and authorities pursued the additional export volume with Malaysia on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The prime minister said the additional rice exports would support farmers and the national economy, while reiterating the government’s aim of expanding access to international markets for Pakistani agricultural products.
“Expanding access to international markets for Pakistani agricultural commodities is the government’s top priority,” Sharif said, adding that the government would continue pursuing export-led economic growth.
He appreciated the officials involved in securing the additional exports, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and the secretaries of the commerce and national food security ministries.
Separately, the prime minister chaired a meeting to review regulatory reforms aimed at facilitating businesses, promoting investment and making the regulatory framework more effective and transparent.
Sharif directed authorities to establish a regulatory registry that would bring together regulatory requirements, rules and regulations under a comprehensive system.
He also called for implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Act across the country to bring greater consistency to regulatory systems across the provinces and provide businesses with similar facilities.
The prime minister directed that third-party validation of the reforms be conducted to assess their impact and effectiveness. He also instructed the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to work with the private sector to ensure businesses were aware of and able to use the facilities being introduced.
Officials briefed the meeting on measures being undertaken to improve the ease of doing business, including modernisation of the Business Facilitation Centre along the lines of the Punjab government’s E-BIZ platform.
The government is also simplifying the Export Policy Order and Import Policy Order, while the SIFC is coordinating with all provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on regulatory reforms.
Sharif cited reforms at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and called for similar modernisation efforts at other regulatory institutions.
