A six-member delegation from Pakistan is due to arrive in Manila on the invitation of the Philippine National Food Authority (NFA), with the aim of exploring the potential for entering the Philippine rice market.


Led by Syed Masood Alam Rizvi, the chairman of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), the delegation also hopes to remove all hurdles to a potential government-to-government deal on rice.


Masood Alam Rizvi revealed that Pakistan has an important edge over rival rice producers, because it harvests the commodity earlier than other countries, between October and April. “Our primary objective is to get ourselves registered with the National Food Authority, [an important step] which is needed to enter the Philippine market,” he added.