Pakistan, Sept. 21 -- From the fields of Punjab to supermarkets and kitchens across the world, Pakistan's rice industry is increasingly becoming a vital source of foreign exchange, but coordinated efforts are imperative to protect the sector's competitiveness, expand international markets and ensure that farmers and exporters both benefit from the crop's growing economic importance.

Pakistan's rice industry is confronting a new test of competitiveness as its falling export volumes, aggressive international competition and the return of major suppliers to global markets threaten to erode the gains made during the country's recent rice-export boom.

The stakeholders at a Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) forum have called ...