Pakistan’s rice exports saw a significant increase of 35.40 percent during the first five months of the current fiscal year (2024-25), compared to the same period last year.
According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country exported over 2.377 million metric tons of rice, including basmati and other varieties, from July to November 2024, worth $1.515 billion. This was up from 1.721 million metric tons, valued at $1.119 billion, in the same period last year.
Basmati rice exports rose by 34.64 percent, reaching 370,282 metric tons, valued at $386.116 million, compared to 244,664 metric tons and $286.778 million during the same period last year.
In addition, exports of non-basmati rice earned $1.129 billion in the first five months of this fiscal year, a notable increase from $832.523 million in the previous year. Over 2.006 million metric tons of non-basmati rice were exported, compared to 1.476 million metric tons during the same period last year, marking a 35.67 percent increase.
Overall, the country’s food exports grew by 19.58 percent during this period. From July to November 2024, food exports totaled $3.155 billion, compared to $2.638 billion in the same months of the previous year.
Conversely, food imports into the country dropped by 11.13 percent, totaling $2.977 billion, compared to $3.350 billion during the same period last year.
