Tea imports into Pakistan during the first nine months of the current fiscal year decreased by 5.45%, amounting to over 184,663 metric tons valued at $468.248 million, compared to 199,512 metric tons worth $495.217 million in the same period last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
In addition to tea, overall food commodity imports also saw a decline, dropping from $6.290 billion to $6.118 billion during July to March 2024-25.
However, the country’s sugar imports fell by 1.75%, with 2,673 metric tons valued at $2.627 million imported, down from 2,794 metric tons worth $2.674 million in the previous year.
Despite the overall drop in food imports, several categories saw significant growth. The import of dry fruits and nuts surged by 116.86%, reaching $123.317 million, compared to $56.864 million during the same period last year. Spices imports also grew by 29.11%, totaling $171.496 million, up from $132.826 million last year.
Soybean imports saw a notable increase of 116.37%, totaling $251.137 million, compared to $116.070 million during the same period last year. Similarly, palm oil imports rose by 23.42%, reaching $2.572 billion, up from $2.084 billion in the previous year.
On the export side, food commodity exports from Pakistan increased by 1.62%, with $5.749 billion worth of food exports during July-March 2024-25, compared to $5.658 billion in the same period of the previous year.
