EXPLORING THE CAUSES OF DECLINE IN PAKISTAN’S RICE EXPORTS: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Pakistan's rice export sector lost 40% of its export value in the past few years. Pakistan policymakers, exporters, and farmers are worried. This research has the aim of understanding the driving factors of the decline in rice export sector. This researcher has adopted a qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive research design to study driving factors. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (i.e., farmers, exporters, policy makers, and millers) and conducted a document and policy analysis. The researcher conducted a thematic analysis and identified 10 factors that are likely to interconnect. The factors are: (1) macroeconomic and financial impediments, (2) agricultural production challenges, (3) climate and environmental shocks, (4) trade policy and regulatory barriers, (5) quality standards and SPS compliance issues, (6) the state of the global market, (7) supply chain and logistics, (8) institutional and governance challenges, (9) the farmer-exporter divide, and (10) geopolitical issues. The fundamental components of the last three decades that are truly the driving factors of the decline in rice export sector are in Pakistan’s case poor soil infrastructure, weak governance, and no solid inter-sectoral collaboration. This study is primarily directed and focused towards the farmer, the exporter, and the government and will likely result in the improvement of policies, quality, supply chain, and the relationship between farmers and exporters. This research will be recognized as one of the extensively documented and multi-faceted given the large number of variables involved and the vast number of possible relationships. This research has described the obstacles to exporting agricultural goods in a developing economy. In simple terms, the research is directed and focused towards the farmer, the exporter, and the government. The research has multiple objectives. Ultimately, it is likely to result in the improvement of policies, quality, supply chain, and the relationship between farmers and exporters.