ISLAMABAD, June 26: The import bill of eatables has reached record $2.537 billion during the 11 months of the fiscal year 2006-07 as against $2.494 billion over the same period last year.

The low increase in the yield of essential farm produces for the last two consecutive years has encouraged import of food items, like pulses, sugar, etc., which were imported for meeting the domestic consumption.

Moreover, tariff rationalisation and free trade treaties have resulted in the influx of foreign brands in the local market.

Official figures compiled by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) showed that import of milk products increased by 31.01 per cent to $72.995 million during the July-May period of the current fiscal year as against $55.710 million.

An increase of 54.83 per cent was witnessed in import of pulses to $230.212 million as against $148.691 million, and an increase of 26.13 per cent was witnessed in palm oil $810.933 million as against $642.948 million.

Import of dry fruits increased by 19.15 per cent to $63.108 million during the period under review as against $52.963 million; 3.20 per cent increase was witnessed in spices to $49.986 million as against $48.435 million; and 7.33 per cent increase was seen in import of all other food items to $775.441 million as against $722.473 million.

The analysis of other commodities showed that the import bill of soyabean oil increased by 75.56 per cent to $36.659 million as against $20.881 million.

However, import bill of other food items, like wheat unmilled, declined by 68.38 per cent to $41.538 million during the July-May period of the current fiscal year as against $131.353 million over last year.

Import of tea declined by 1.37 per cent to $198.422 million during the period under review as against $201.173 million over the same period of last year; a decrease of 44.97 per cent was witnessed in import of sugar which stood at $258.338 million as against $469.465 million over the same period last year.

With the current increase in the import bill of food items, the total import bill has reached $27.743 billion during the July-May period of the current fiscal year as against $25.594 billion over the same period last year, an increase of 8.40 per cent.