The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported a 13.83% increase in food group exports during the first half of the current fiscal year (2024-25) compared to the same period last year.

Exports of food items reached $3.959 billion during July-December 2024-25, up from $3.478 billion in the corresponding period of 2023-24.

Key contributors to this growth included rice exports, which rose by 14.50% from $1.637 billion to $1.875 billion.

Fish and fish preparation exports increased by 1.47%, from $199.074 million to $201.996 million, while vegetable exports grew by 1.71%, reaching $130.859 million compared to $128.661 million previously.

Tobacco exports experienced a remarkable surge of 103.65%, climbing from $44.918 million to $91.478 million.

Meat and meat preparation exports grew by 3.64%, from $240.108 million to $248.858 million, while sugar exports saw an extraordinary increase of 1525.93%, rising from $21.069 million to $342.571 million.

However, certain food commodities recorded a decline. Fruit exports fell by 1.32%, from $171.345 million to $169.084 million.

Exports of spices dropped by 16.14%, from $57.465 million to $48.191 million, while oil seeds, nuts, and kernels decreased by 16.54%, from $364.102 million to $303.873 million. Other food item exports also declined by 10.82%, from $614.194 million to $547.712 million.

On a year-on-year basis, food group exports in December 2024 dropped by 4.23% to $804.857 million, compared to $840.426 million in December 2023.

However, on a month-on-month basis, food exports rose by 1.88% in December 2024, reaching $804.857 million, up from $790 million in November 2024, according to PBS data.