Pakistan's food export sector presented a mixed picture during the first nine months of fiscal year 2025-26, as gains in fruits, meat and fisheries were overshadowed by a steep contraction in rice shipments, contributing to a sharp decline in the overall value of food exports. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), fresh fruit exports rose by 3.18 percent during July-March FY2025-26. The country exported 486,343 metric tons of fruits valued at $260.630 million, compared with 498,363 metric tons worth $252.655 million during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The meat sector also maintained positive momentum. Exports of meat and meat preparations increased by 3.08 percent year-on-year, reaching 92,080 metric tons valued at $405.988 million, up from 90,464 metric tons worth $391.118 million in the same period a year earlier. Seafood shipments likewise recorded growth. Fish and fish preparations exports climbed by 5.93 percent during the first nine months of the current financial year. Pakistan exported 151,855 metric tons of fish and related products valued at $342.238 million, compared with 151,528 metric tons worth $322.906 million in the corresponding period of the previous year. Despite these gains across several agricultural and food categories, rice exports suffered a substantial setback. More than 3.235 million metric tons of rice worth $1.894 million were exported during the period under review, with the sector registering negative growth of 38.55 percent compared with the same period last year. The sharp downturn in rice trade weighed heavily on the broader food export basket. Overall food group exports declined to $3.800 billion during July-March FY2025-26, down from $5.754 billion recorded during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The weakness was also evident on a monthly basis. In March 2026, food commodity exports stood at $406.005 million, significantly lower than the $576.177 million recorded in March of the previous year. M eanwhile, food imports moved in the opposite direction. During the first nine months of the current fiscal year, imports of food products reached $7.090 billion, compared with $6.158 billion during the same period a year earlier. The figures indicate that while Pakistan continued to expand exports of fruits, meat and fish products, the substantial decline in rice shipments significantly reduced the overall contribution of the food sector to export earnings during the period under review.