July 10, 2021 ISLAMABAD: Maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides beyond permissible levels on rice are causing a major threat to the export competitiveness of Pakistani rice in major global markets such as the United States, European Union (EU) and Middle East. This alarming fact was shared by experts in agri-trade, plant protection and food safety in a series of awareness-raising seminars organised in major rice growing areas in all the four provinces of Pakistan by the Ministry of Commerce and the International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva, The traces pesticides leave in treated products are called residues. A MRL is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly (Good Agricultural Practice).