Food imports rise 8.12pc to $805.5m in July
• Higher edible oil purchases drive growth
• Exports post modest increase after FY26 slump
ISLAMABAD: The first month of the new fiscal year (FY27) saw an 8.12 per cent rise in food imports from a year earlier, driven mainly by higher purchases of edible oil.
In contrast, exports of raw food items posted a modest increase of just over 2pc in July 2026, reversing the negative trend seen in the preceding fiscal year, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
In absolute terms, food imports reached $805.48 million in July 2026, up from $744.97m a year earlier.
In FY26, Pakistan’s food import bill surged 11.66pc to $9.150 billion from $8.195bn in the preceding fiscal year. During the same year, exports of raw food products fell 29.49pc to $5.017bn from $7.116bn in the preceding fiscal year.
The reversal in the trend was mainly due to an increase in overall rice exports during the first month of the current fiscal year. Other products contributing to the rise in exports included fish products, tobacco, oilseeds and meat products.
Product-wise data showed that rice exports surged 19.15pc in 1MFY27 from a year earlier. Exports of basmati rice, however, rose 37.37pc, while those of non-basmati rice increased 10.11pc in value on a year-on-year basis. The increase was also recorded in the quantity of both basmati and non-basmati rice, by 28.78pc and 15.68pc, respectively.
The Ministry of Commerce has extended the subsidy scheme for rice exports by another three months until Sept 30 and raised the Duty Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL) rate for non-basmati rice to support exporters facing weaker international demand.
Similarly, meat exports recorded growth of 16.20pc during 1MFY27 on a year-on-year basis. Exports of fish products recorded growth of 0.43pc. Most other food products recorded negative growth. Vegetable exports registered the steepest fall, plunging 19.13pc, while fruit exports declined 33.69pc. Tobacco exports recorded growth of 77.55pc and spices 9.95pc during 1MFY27.
On the import side, palm oil constituted the largest share among imported food items, followed by pulses, tea and soybean oil.
The value of palm oil imports surged 18.60pc year-on-year. In terms of quantity, palm oil imports also recorded growth of 3.95pc during the month under review. This growth reflected higher consumption of edible oil and ghee in Pakistan.
Imports of pulses, meanwhile, posted growth of 8.76pc during the month under review. The value of soybean oil imports dipped 99pc from the same month a year earlier. The import bill for all other food items rose 5.32pc, while that of tea increased 42.04pc during the month under review.
Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026
