Pakistan food exports increased by 1.62% to $ 5.75 billion in the first nine months for the year 2024-2025 (July-Mars), compared to $ 5.66 billion a year earlier, according to data published by Pakistan Bureau (PBS).
Growth occurs despite persistent food inflation on the internal market, with rice and sugar exports leading to the rise. Pakistan has now recorded 20 consecutive months of food export growth.
Among the main contributors, Basmati rice exports experienced an increase of 8.78% of the value to $ 676.96 million, in parallel with an increase of 21.78% of the volume to 663,980 tonnes.
On the other hand, non -basmati rice exports decreased by 9.87% value to $ 2.08 billion, despite a marginal increase of 0.14% of the quantity to 4.02 million tonnes. Global rice exports dropped by 5.91%, totaling $ 2.76 billion in value.
Sugar exports have seen an exceptional jump. Initially capped at 150,000 tonnes under an export policy in June 2024, total sugar exports reached 757,779 tonnes in March, according to PBS Figures.
The largest volumes were exported in December (279,273 tonnes) and November (166,283 tonnes), although no export was reported in March.
Meat exports increased by 0.99%, supported by new market access and expansion of slaughter capacity. Fish and seafood exports increased by 8.15%, while fruit exports dropped by 5.04% and vegetable exports dropped by 17.09% due to food constraints.
The increase in rice exports was supported by the demand for traditional markets such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as new buyers in Bangladesh.
However, the domestic price of basmati rice has increased sharply to Rs 400 per kg, limiting local consumption.
Despite the mixed trends between categories, those responsible consider the overall performance of exports as resilients under inflationary pressure and narrow global market conditions.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Pakistan’s textile sector for reaching a record of $ 13.613 billion (around 3,793 billion rupees) in export in the first nine months of the current year – an increase of 9.38% compared to the same period last year.
According to PBS data, this growth highlights the resilience of the textile industry and its continuous role as a back spine of the country’s export economy.
The Prime Minister praised both the government’s economic policies and the tireless efforts of the private sector in the motivation of this progress.
March 2025 alone recorded $ 2.64 billion (around 737 billion rupees) in global exports – a monthly and annual increase.
