Pakistan has evinced interest to buy 500,000 tonne Indian rice later this year for re-export to other countries.

"We are likely to fall short in meeting our global commitments for rice trade by August this year and can buy 500,000 tonnes from reliable Indian suppliers," Rahim Janoo, member of the Federal Export Board of Pakistan, said.

He said the country had already exported around 1 million tonne rice in the current season and by August it will not have any rice to export.

Then Indian 20-25 per cent broken coarse rice can be purchased and re-exported to committed clientele elsewhere, Janoo, who is leading a delegation of REAP (Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan) to India, said.

He said that with India keeping out of the world trade market since the last eight months, world demand for Pakistani rice had picked up in a big way.

Around 50 per cent of the targeted two million tonne export had already been delivered, valued at $370 million against 1.7 million tonnes worth $550 million exported last year.

Around 40 per cent of the total trade is in basmati and the rest is mostly of coarse rice of the IRI-6 variety, he said adding that the country's production is expected to rise to 4.9 million tonnes against 4.3 million tonnes this year.

With a consumption of 2.3 million tonnes and 2 million tonnes export, there will be a stock of 600,000 tonnes, but none in the IRI-6 variety, prompting Pakistan to buy Indian 20-25 per cent brokens.