ISLAMABAD – Agro-based exports from the country including fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, wheat flour and others have registered a tremendous increase during last three years.
The country exported about 5.552 million tonnes of food commodities worth Rs 23.677 billion during the last financial year, 3.911 million tonnes during 2008-09 and 3,861 million tonnes worth Rs14.33 billion in 2007-08.
Rice exports crossed 4.179 million tons during the last financial year as compared to 2.809 million tonnes in 2007-08 and 2.729 million tons in 2008-09. Through the export of rice, the country earned Rs 183.37 billion during last year, Rs 117.08 billion in 2007-08 and Rs 154.76 billion in 2008-09.
Additionally, the export of fruits and vegetable was 1.167 million tonnes during 2009-10, 906,000 tonnes in 2008-09 and 652,000 tonnes in 2007-08. The country earned Rs 16.365 billion during 2009-10 by exporting 160.1 thousand tonnes of raw cotton last year, Rs 1.636 billion by exporting 78.2 thousand tonnes during 2008-09 and Rs Rs. 6.82 billion from the export of 55,900 tonnes of raw cotton in 2007-08.
The export of Halal food products had also increased as about 121.449 million kilogrammes of Halal food products worth Rs 36.14 billion were exported during the last financial year. Furthermore, the import of food commodities registered a negative trend during the last three years.
The import of tea decreased with 94.5 million tonnes during last financial year as compared to 100.4 million tonnes during 2008-09. The import of soybean oil also fell to 26.9 million tonnes last year against 91.8 million tonnes during year 2008-09. Experts indicate that the agro-based industry has a huge potential to excel in the international market by adopting modern technology in processing and packing and international standards of hygiene.
It may be recalled that this year Pakistan will introduce mangoes in the markets of United States and Japan, which will not only fetch foreign exchange for the country and directly benefit the growers. Exports up by 41.1 percent: Pakistan’s exports in March, 2011 aggregated to $2.497 billion, depicting a 41.1 percent rise compared to the same month of previous year.
“Exports, in the first nine months of the current financial year, have touched $17.799 billion, showing an increase of 26.5 percent – which is unprecedented”, said a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce. “It has raised hopes that the country’s exports will touch $24 billion during the current financial year,” he further said.
He asserted that imports in March 2011 were $3.417 billion, four percent more that those in the corresponding period last year. “In the first nine months of the current financial year, imports have increased by 15.6 percent compared to the 26.5 percent exports rise”, he said. Trade officials attribute the growth in exports to the increase in commodity prices, cotton and yarn, in the international markets.
The unprecedented hike in petroleum products in the international market has surged commodity prices, triggering unrest in many countries while increasing inflation in the oil importing world. The government had set an export target of $19.9 billion for the current fiscal year as against the target of $ 19.2 billion in the last fiscal.
A meager increase $700 million was projected in exports due to the global uncertainty, energy shortages and security situation.
