Pakistan’s food exports rose 25.31% to about $1.388 billion in July–September 2026, up from $1.108 billion a year earlier, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics figures reported by Dawn.
Rice shipments were a major driver of the increase, providing a stronger start to fiscal year 2026–27 after a difficult previous year for agricultural exports.
Rice helps lift export earnings
The latest quarterly gain follows a sharp fall in food exports during FY26. Pakistan exported $5.017 billion worth of food commodities that year, compared with $7.116 billion in FY25, according to Associated Press of Pakistan.
The first-quarter figures suggest an improvement, although the full year’s performance will depend on harvests, overseas demand and commodity prices.
PBS published its September foreign trade release on October 15. The latest trade figures are provisional.
Food imports also rise
Food imports increased 3.44% to about $2.330 billion in the same three-month period, compared with $2.252 billion a year earlier.
That left food imports around $942 million higher than food exports during the quarter. The comparison covers food commodities only, not Pakistan’s overall trade deficit.
Exports grew much faster than imports, but the country still spent considerably more on imported food than it earned from food shipments abroad.
The next quarterly trade figures will show whether the export recovery is sustained.