Pakistan loses Russian rice market

The Russian government had banned import of all kinds of Pakistani rice on the plea that it carried a fungus named - Kapra Beetle - which was not suitable for consumption. Interestingly, the fungus is only carried in grains and not in rice.

The exporter claimed that the lukewarm response of the agriculture and commerce ministries towards the objections raised by the Russian Quarantine Department alleging that Pakistani rice carried the fungus led to losing of the new emerging rice market for exporters.