Pakistan and Malaysia Agree to More Rice Export Talks, No Deal Yet

Pakistan and Malaysia have agreed to work on more rice exports and halal food trade, after meetings in Kuala Lumpur announced on Sunday 27 September 2026. No contract, quantity or price was announced. What was agreed is a formal channel for talks, starting with a joint virtual meeting in November.

The details come from a Press Information Department release of 27 September, which we read in full. Pakistan's side was led by Amer Ali Ahmed, Federal Secretary for National Food Security and Research, and Jawad Paul, Federal Secretary for Commerce, with High Commissioner Syed Ahsan Raza Shah.

The talks set up a channel, not a rice deal

The Kuala Lumpur meetings produced an agreement to keep talking through a formal mechanism, beginning with a joint virtual meeting in November 2026. The official release does not mention any signed order, tonnage, price or tariff change for Pakistani rice going to Malaysia.

That is worth saying plainly, because "agree to strengthen" can sound like a sale. It is not one yet. It is a promise to meet again with a clearer agenda.

The delegation held three meetings, according to the release:

1. With BERNAS, Malaysia's national rice company, on expanding Pakistani rice exports.
2. With the Director General of JAKIM, Malaysia's Islamic affairs department that runs its halal certification, on halal standards.
3. With Datuk Seri Isham bin Ishak, Secretary General of Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, on wider farm trade.

Pakistani rice must meet BERNAS quality standards

The BERNAS meeting focused on selling more Pakistani rice in Malaysia while ensuring strict compliance with BERNAS quality standards and requirements. Exporters were in the room, along with Pakistan's agricultural research council and plant protection department.

The release names the people present for Pakistan: the chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Dr Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi, the Director General of the Department of Plant Protection, Yasin Murtaza, and representatives of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan. For BERNAS, its Group CEO, Dato' Dr Sirajuddin bin Suhaimee, and his team attended.

The plant protection department's presence is the practical signal. It issues the phytosanitary certificates that show a rice shipment is free of pests. A shipment that fails those checks cannot be sold, so the standards point matters more than the handshake.

Rice exports are already up a quarter this year

Pakistan exported 654,610 tonnes of rice worth $391.74 million in July and August 2026, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. That is 24.68 per cent more in dollars than the same two months of 2025. Basmati grew fastest, up 53.04 per cent.

We took these numbers from the bureau's August 2026 export table. That table does not break exports down by country, so we cannot tell you how much of this rice went to Malaysia. The release does not say either.

Rice is one of the few farm exports growing strongly this year. For comparison, the government has only just allowed 200,000 tonnes of sugar for export, and it has not yet set the wheat support price for 2026-27.

Halal meat, poultry and fish are also on the table

The talks went beyond rice. With JAKIM, the two sides reviewed a memorandum of understanding between JAKIM and the Pakistan Halal Authority. With Malaysia's agriculture ministry, they discussed meat, poultry, fisheries, aquaculture, animal vaccines, biosecurity controls and halal gelatin.

The memorandum was signed in October, according to the release, which does not give the year. Both sides said they want to turn it into closer technical work on certification and supply chains.

Pakistan also reaffirmed its participation in the Malaysia International Halal Showcase, known as MIHAS, a trade fair for halal products. For meat and poultry exporters, halal certification that Malaysia accepts is the entry ticket, so any work between the two certifiers is the part to watch.

• Rice: more exports, under BERNAS quality rules.
• Halal certification: JAKIM and the Pakistan Halal Authority to cooperate further.
• Livestock and fish: meat, poultry, fisheries and aquaculture.
• Animal health: vaccines and biosecurity controls.

Farmers and shoppers see no change for now

Nothing announced on 27 September changes rice prices in Pakistani shops or what mills pay farmers. It is a trade conversation between governments and exporters. Any effect would come later, and only if the November meeting produces orders or eased rules.

If you grow rice, the numbers that matter more this season are the bureau's monthly export figures and the price mills offer at harvest. Farmers in Punjab can also look at the six schemes Punjab runs for farmers, starting with the Kisan Card.

We will look for an official statement after the November virtual meeting.

Common questions

Did Pakistan sign a rice export deal with Malaysia?

No. The two sides agreed to set up a formal mechanism for talks, starting with a joint virtual meeting in November 2026. No contract or quantity was announced.

What is BERNAS?

BERNAS is Malaysia's national rice company. Pakistani rice sold through it must meet its quality standards and requirements.

What is JAKIM?

JAKIM is Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development, which runs Malaysia's halal certification. It has a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan Halal Authority.

How much rice did Pakistan export in July and August 2026?

654,610 tonnes worth $391.74 million, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, up 24.68 per cent in dollars on a year earlier.

Will rice become more expensive in Pakistan because of this?

Nothing in the announcement changes local prices. It is an agreement to keep talking, not an order.

Last checked and sources

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The meetings, the people present, the BERNAS quality standards point, the JAKIM and Pakistan Halal Authority memorandum, the list of farm and food topics, MIHAS and the November virtual meeting are from the Press Information Department release of 27 September 2026. Rice export figures are from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics August 2026 export table. The year of the memorandum's signing and the share of rice exports going to Malaysia could not be confirmed from these sources.