Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to draw up a comprehensive roadmap to boost exports, particularly agricultural shipments, as part of the government’s push for export-led growth and a reduced trade deficit.
Chairing a review meeting on national export promotion, the prime minister said increasing rice exports should be treated as a priority and instructed officials to formulate a coordinated strategy in consultation with the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The prime minister also called for accelerating institutional reforms aimed at facilitating exporters, and made it clear that no negligence would be tolerated in the timely payment of tax refunds, which he said was essential for maintaining export growth.
During the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister on the government’s export promotion strategy and shared trade performance data for the July–December 2025 period.
The briefing highlighted measures to expand exports in higher value-added sectors, including engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and processed food. Officials also said work was underway to integrate Pakistan’s exports into global value chains, while improvements in ports and logistics systems were being pursued to support exporters.
The meeting was further informed that negotiations were ongoing with several countries on government-to-government agreements related to rice exports.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, and senior government officials attended the meeting.
