Azeem Ahmed Khan

Pakistan’s food group exports recorded a sharp year-on-year decline during July-November 2025, falling by more than one-third compared with the same period of 2024, according to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Figures show that food group exports stood at Rs552,504 million (US $1,958,563 thousand) during July-November 2025, down from Rs877,347 million (US $3,155,112 thousand) in the corresponding period last year. This represents a decline of 37.03% in rupee terms and 37.92% in dollar terms, highlighting a broad-based contraction across most major food export categories.

The steepest impact was observed in rice exports, traditionally Pakistan’s largest food export item. Rice exports declined sharply in both quantity and value.During July-November 2025, rice exports amounted to 1,425,844 metric tonnes, compared with 2,377,302 metric tonnes in the same period of 2024, reflecting a 40.02% decline in quantity.

In value terms, the exports fell to Rs217,042 million ($769,294 thousand) from Rs421,408 million ($1,515,563 thousand), marking a drop of 48.50% in rupees and 49.24% in dollars. Within rice, basmati exports also witnessed a significant contraction. Basmati shipments declined from 370,331 metric tonnes in July-November 2024 to 215,585 metric tonnes in the same period of 2025, showing a 41.79% fall in quantity.

Export earnings from basmati rice dropped to Rs68,031 million (US $241,028 thousand) from Rs107,415 million (US $386,116 thousand), registering declines of 36.67% in rupees and 37.58% in dollars. The exports of other rice varieties fell even more sharply, with the quantity declining by 39.70% and value dropping by 52.54% in rupees and 53.23% in dollars.

In contrast, fish and fish preparations showed a marginal improvement. The exports increased slightly in quantity from 75,336 metric tonnes in July-November 2024 to 75,766 metric tonnes in the same period of 2025. The export value rose from Rs45,129 million (US $162,334 thousand) to Rs48,948 million (US $173,750 thousand), reflecting a growth of 8.46% in rupees and 7.03% in dollars.

Fruit exports also performed better year-on-year. The export quantity increased from 220,574 metric tonnes to 240,297 metric tonnes, a rise of 8.94%. In value terms, fruit exports grew to Rs42,375 million (US $149,915 thousand) from Rs36,883 million (US $132,577 thousand), recording increases of 14.89% in rupees and 13.08% in dollars.

By contrast, vegetable exports declined sharply. The shipments fell from 338,435 metric tonnes in July-November 2024 to 213,060 metric tonnes in the same period of 2025, a decrease of 37.05%. The export earnings dropped to Rs18,743 million (US $66,420 thousand) from Rs30,660 million (US $110,221 thousand), reflecting declines of 38.87% in rupees and 39.74% in dollars.

The exports of oil seeds, nuts, and kernels also saw a steep fall. The quantity declined from 215,031 metric tonnes to 81,156 metric tonnes, while the value dropped from Rs72,998 million (US $262,607 thousand) to Rs26,012 million (US $92,436 thousand), showing declines of over 64% in value terms. Meanwhile, sugar exports dropped to zero in July-November 2025, compared with 353,531 metric tonnes valued at Rs54,693 million (US $196,718 thousand) in the same period last year, marking a 100% decline.

Overall, the PBS data indicate that the sharp fall in rice, vegetables, sugar, and oilseed exports outweighed the gains in fish, fruits, and meat, resulting in a substantial year-on-year contraction in Pakistan’s food group exports during July-November 2025.

Credit: INP-WealthPk