Moaaz Manzoor

Pakistan’s agro and food exports recorded a steep year-on-year contraction during November FY 2025-26, with shipment values falling to $469 million compared with $800 million in November FY 2024-25, reflecting a sharp 41% decline, according to the Monthly Trade Report for November 2025 issued by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).

The decline in November added to the already weak cumulative performance of the sector during the first five months of the fiscal year. TDAP data show that agro and food exports during July–November FY26 stood at $2.20 billion, down from $3.31 billion in the corresponding period of FY25, registering a substantial 33% year-on-year contraction.

Within the agro and food category, rice exports emerged as one of the most sharply affected items. According to the commodity-wise export tables, rice exports in November FY26 were valued at $175 million, compared with $415 million in November FY25, marking a steep 58% decline on a year-on-year basis.

The cumulative figures show a similarly pronounced fall. During July–November FY26, rice exports amounted to $764 million, down sharply from $1.49 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year, reflecting a 49% decline in export earnings from the commodity.

TDAP’s sector-wise export data underline that agro and food exports underperformed relative to other major export groupings. In November, textile and leather exports slipped 3% to $1.508 billion, while engineering, manufacturing and other exports fell 9% to $421 million. However, agro and food exports saw the steepest decline, contracting by 41%, making it the largest fall among the three main export sectors.

On a cumulative basis, textile and leather exports during July–November FY26 edged up 3% to $8.26 billion, while engineering, manufacturing and other exports increased 5% to $2.40 billion. In contrast, agro and food exports declined 33%, highlighting the segment’s relatively weaker performance during the period.

The contraction in agro and food exports also contributed to the broader decline in Pakistan’s goods exports. The country’s overall goods exports during November FY 2025-2026 fell to $ 2,398 billion, compared with $2.833 billion in November FY2024-2025, reflecting a 15.35% decrease. Cumulatively, goods exports during July–November FY26 declined 6.39% year-on-year to $12.844 billion.

Credit: INP-WealthPk