Pakistan's food exports have contracted sharply in the current fiscal year, with a steep fall in key commodities such as rice and sugar driving an overall decline of more than one-third.

Data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics show that food group exports fell by 34.38% to $3.394bn during July-February 2025-26, compared with $5.173bn in the same period last year. The drop reflects widespread weakness across major export categories.

Rice, the largest contributor within the food basket, recorded a significant decline of 39.91%, with export earnings falling to $1.49bn from $2.48bn. Sugar exports collapsed entirely, dropping to zero from $406.99m in the corresponding period, marking one of the most pronounced contractions.

Other segments also registered substantial decreases. Vegetable exports fell by 46.45% to $121.68m, while oil seeds, nuts and kernels declined by 53.92% to $156.31m. Tobacco shipments dropped by 22.03%, and spices edged down by 1.61%. Exports of other food items decreased by 19.65%, indicating a broad-based downturn.

In contrast, a few categories posted gains. Fish and fish preparations increased by 9.70% to $289.16m. Fruit exports rose by 6.25% to $251.95m, while meat and meat preparations expanded by 9.30% to $370.15m. These increases, however, were insufficient to offset the overall decline.

Recent data reinforce the downward trend. On a year-on-year basis, food exports fell by 27.54% in February 2026, amounting to $405.89m compared with $560.14m a year earlier. Month-on-month figures show an even steeper contraction, with exports dropping by 35% from $624.45m in January.

The figures underscore a marked deterioration in Pakistan's food export performance, with declines in major commodities outweighing gains in smaller segments.