Edible oil imports surge by $1.1 billion in nine months of FY25

Pakistan has witnessed an increase in imports of edible oils during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, with soyabean oil imports rising by 116.37% and palm oil imports by 23.42%, compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 

From July to March 2024-25, the country imported 237,655 metric tons of soyabean oil, valued at $251.137 million, a sharp increase from the 107,705 metric tons worth $116.070 million imported during the same period last year. This surge in soyabean oil imports reflects a growing demand for edible oil in the country.

Meanwhile, Pakistan spent $2.572 billion on importing palm oil, meeting the local demand for edible oil, compared to $2.084 billion spent during the same period last year. Over 2.489 million tons of palm oil were imported, marking an increase of 23.24% compared to 2.263 million tons imported in the previous year.

Despite this rise in edible oil imports, the overall food group imports during the first nine months of FY25 showed a slight decrease of 2.74%, dropping from $6.290 billion to $6.118 billion compared to the previous year.

On the export front, food group exports from Pakistan saw a modest growth of 1.62% during the same period. Food exports totaled $5.749 billion in the first nine months of FY25, up from $5.658 billion in the corresponding period of the last year.