GHULAM ABBAS
ISLAMABAD: After an interception of a rice consignment from Pakistan, it is feared that Russia, like it did in the past, may impose restrictions on imports from Pakistan. However, rice exporters and some officials claim that the incident would not undermine trade ties between the two countries. We, while talking to different sources within government departments and other stakeholders, tried to understand the whole episode and the reasons behind such incidents, which harm the country’s exports. As per details, Russia intercepted a consignment of white rice from Pakistan on March 15 of this year with an insect Megaselia scalaris (LOEW), commonly known as the “scuttle fly” or “coffin fly,” which is not known to occur in Russia so far.
The importing country has sovereign rights under Article VII of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to regulate the entry of plants, plant products, and other regulated articles, and to this end, may prescribe phytosanitary measures, including bans on imports from any trading country, with the aim of preventing the introduction and/or spread of regulated pests into their territories.
This is because invasive pests may be detrimental to the agriculture industry of the importing nation once introduced, developed, and spread. Rosselkhozdanazor – the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) – is the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Russia under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, responsible for the biosecurity of Russia.
Originally, “biosecurity” was mainly used in defense regarding the control of biological weapons. Later, due to its growing importance, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defined biosecurity as a strategic and integrated approach that encompasses policy and regulatory frameworks (including instruments and activities) for analyzing and managing relevant risks to human, animal, and plant life and health, and associated risks to the environment. Rosselkhozdanazor has sent a ‘Notification of Non-compliance’ to the Department of Plant Protection (DPP), the National Plant Protection Organization of Pakistan, under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), regarding violations of international and Russian phytosanitary requirements in deliveries of regulated products from Pakistan to the Russian Federation on March 17, 2024.
The notification has been served by Rosselkhozdanazor to DPP (NPPO) concerning the provisions of the International Standard for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM-13) prescribed by IPPC, to which Pakistan and Russia are also signatories. In the notification, Rosselkhozdanazor has provided DPP with necessary information regarding the intercepted rice shipment and requested an investigation into the matter and measures to prevent this violation, and to inform Rosselkhoznadzor about the measures taken in the shortest possible time.
The notification also reveals that the intercepted white rice consignment was exported by M/s Garribson Pvt. Ltd. DHA, Karachi, through MSC MARITINA V on January 10, 2024. The consignment arrived at the port of St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 15, 2024, after a two-month voyage. The coffin fly was detected in the shipment by Rosselkhozdanazor during inspection. Prior to leaving Pakistan, the consignment was disinfested by M/s Prince Pest Control Services, Karachi, selected and arranged by the exporter. Hafiz Muhammad Zohaib, an entomologist from DPP, conducted an inspection and declared it free from pests and approved phytosanitary certificate No. PCKS/17795/23-24/16101/08-01-2024 on January 8, 2024. Mr. Muhammad Shaukat Hayat, Minister (Trade & Investment) at the Embassy of Pakistan, Russia, translated and forwarded this notification to DPP and warned DPP that, in order to avoid any possible ban on rice exports from Pakistan to Russia, an investigation into the matter of sending non-compliant rice shipments to Russia should be conducted and its results shared with FSVPS immediately. However, his undue remarks regarding a possible ban on Pakistani rice exports to Russia, not hinted at in the Rosselkhozdanazor letter, have created panic and unrest among the rice industry, which is already facing very strict phytosanitary import measures for rice exports from Pakistan to Russia, allowing only 19 rice establishments and companies, including non-compliant companies, to export rice.
FSVPS also banned rice imports from Pakistan in 2006 and then in 2019 after intercepting infested rice shipments. However, it was revealed during conversations with officials that DPP has never dared to reciprocate similar strong phytosanitary actions, i.e., banning imports of wheat and grains imported from Russia to Pakistan after repeated interceptions with harmful insects. DPP opts to conduct emergency disinfestation treatment on Russian goods upon arrival after detecting biosecurity risks and gives them biosecurity clearance.
The notification further reveals that FSVPS had also given clearance to the intercepted consignment after treatment onshore instead of deporting or confiscating and destroying the consignment. Interestingly, the notification apparently mentions India mistakenly as the country for the issuance of the phytosanitary certificate accompanying the consignment at Serial No. 9 (C) of the column and the date as March 29, 2024, at Serial No. 18 (d), whereas the notification was served on March 15 and March 17, 2024. This might need clarification from Rosselkhozdanazor by DPP. According to International Sanitary and Phytosanitary standards, three options, e.g., confiscation and destruction of the consignment; disinfestation and deportation of the consignment; and emergency disinfestation treatment and release of the consignment in the country, are available to the importing country upon interception of importing goods with harmful organisms at its port. Accordingly, to Schedule XI of the Pakistan Plant Quarantine Rules, 2019, the registration of M/s Prince Pest Control Services, Karachi, is necessary to be suspended because prima facie, the interception occurred due to defective fumigation until it is established in the investigation that the container had not been opened after treatment by any other agency. Disciplinary action is also provided against Hafiz Muhammad Zohaib for issuing a phytosanitary certificate for the infested consignment based on faulty inspection until it is established that the containers were not opened by any other person or agency. However, the investigation and phytosanitary actions have been pending since March 17, 2024, to date for various reasons
. Why do interceptions occur? According to insiders, the major issue causing negligence on the part of government departments is a lack of relevant and technical officials and the functioning of the department. As per the available information currently, DPP is without a regular head of department, i.e., Plant Protection Adviser & Director General (Director General), BS-20, and Director Technical, BS-19. Deputy Director Quarantine, BS-18, and Entomologist Quarantine (H), BS-17, are reluctant to take actions for want of jurisdiction. The post of Director General has been vacant since April 9, 2024, after the Honourable High Court of Sindh at Karachi issued an Order dated April 9, 2024, in CP No. D-3764 of 2022, which set aside the notification dated June 8, 2022, of the Federal Government and further settled that the appointment of the Director General by the Federal Government in DPP under section 10 of the Civil Servant Act, 1973, and Civil Servant (Appointment, Promotion & Transfer) Rules, 1973 (the CSA, 1973 Act & CSR, 1973) had been made without lawful authority and jurisdiction, as such an appointment cannot be made when an eligible senior-most officer is available in DPP. The Federal Government had appointed the Director Technical at Serial No. 3 in the seniority list via the suspended notification instead of Dr. Muhammad Tariq Khan, the senior-most Director Technical, at Serial No. 1 in the seniority list without assigning any reason, who had challenged the impugned appointment of the Director General in DPP by the Federal Government before the Honourable High Court. It also ordered to appoint an eligible officer DPP as Director General, BS-20, on a regular basis by promotion by holding a meeting of the Selection Board immediately.
The ministry has not complied with the order so far. According to insiders, if investigations and corrective actions remain pending and more consignments are intercepted in Russia, Pakistan may face bans from Russia and other countries for sending non-compliant goods.
The recent interception is an example of the diligent work of Rosselkhozdanazor, (FSVPS) quarantine specialists do on a daily basis and the determination of the Russian Government to provide exemplary infrastructure and manpower and equip with modern gadgets to Rosselkhozdanazor, which is crucial in preventing foreign pests from becoming established in Russia and maintaining biosecurity. Contrary to Rosselkhozdanazor, this interception is a classical paradigm of poor work done by the experts of DPP, the responsible organization for the biosecurity of Pakistan.
The key reasons behind the poor working of DPP are a shortage of technical and experienced personnel, along with necessary infrastructure and modern gadgets of inspection, and the appointment of favorites overlooking their non-technical qualifications and irrelevant experience against key posts on a temporary basis.
They come, enjoy posting, and go away, leaving this post for future government favorites. DPP collects all muds and burden of wrong policies and actions introduced and spread by the temporary appointments since long. Presently, the number of DPP experts is too few to conduct proper inspection and certification, so they have to release many importable high-risk consignments daily without inspection and appropriate treatment, and agents are wisely manipulating this situation for their own benefits.
This situation has allowed the introduction and spread of a welter of invasive biosecurity risks in Pakistan. The increasing pest complex in crops, orchards, and forests has increased the use of pesticides to control, and this has soared pesticides import bill of Pakistan from 30 billion to 130 billion during the last 12 years, and despite indiscriminate use of pesticides, Pakistan’s production is declining due to invasive pests.
The export products are intercepting with pesticide residues and insects, plant pathogens, etc., and facing stringent restrictions from importing countries. This has caused a substantial dip in Pakistan’s exports. It is a big blow to an agricultural country like Pakistan whose fragile economy depends upon enhanced export of agricultural products and reduced import of agricultural products. The sad state of affairs of bureaucracy working under the Federal Government, not aware of the importance of biosecurity in an agricultural country, can be judged from this fact that it could not provide requisite manpower and build infrastructure for the most key National Plant Protection Organization, DPP in Pakistan since 1990 and today DPP manpower and infrastructure have been reduced manifold since 1947. Even officers recruited on contract by the previous government were removed from DPP in the caretaker government by the outgoing Secretary, MNFSR, without giving any reasons on verbal order just to appease his personal wishes and whims even knowing this fact that the affairs of DPP could not be run smoothly and the experience and qualified officers are vital for enhancing compliant export of agricultural goods.
The policy and actions of MNFSR have always been more experimental and temporary rather than serious and permanent regarding its attached departments including DPP, FSCRD, and Animal Quarantine Department (AQD) since long. Sometimes, MNFSR blames Planning Commission, other times Finance Department, and mostly, Establishment Division for their petty and irrelevant objections in the way of strengthening of DPP, AQD, and FSRD.
The ad-hoc and temporary appointments of favorites either by the Secretary, Minister, and Federal Government against key posts in important departments like DPP, AQD, and FSCRD instead of filling the posts on a regular basis are another main reason for the deterioration and degradation of these departments and their functions. One ridiculous proposal also came into light from an ex-additional secretary in MNFSR to appoint retired army officers in DPP to regulate the import and export of agricultural commodities with respect to sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
This shows that he was not aware that as per international guidelines and conventions signed by the Federal Government, technical manpower is required for inspection and certification of regulated agricultural goods whereas, retired army officers neither have such
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