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Pakistan Among World's Largest Food Producing Countries
Pakistan's agriculture output is the 10th largest in the world. The country produces large and growing quantities of cereals, meat, milk, fruits and vegetables. Currently, Pakistan produces about 38 million tons of cereals (mainly wheat, rice and corn), 17 million tons of fruits and vegetables, 70 million tons of sugarcane, 60 million tons of milk and 4.5 million tons of meat. Total value of the nation's agricultural output exceeds $50 billion. Improving agriculture inputs and modernizing value chains can help the farm sector become much more productive to serve both domestic and export markets.
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| Top 10 Countries by Agriculture Output. Source: FAO |
Pakistan has about 36 million hectares of land under cultivation. Wheat and rice are grown on more than half of it. Fruits and vegetables each account for only about 3% of the cultivable land. Since year 2001, the country's cereal production, mainly wheat, corn and rice, has grown about 45% to 38 million tons. Pakistan produced 6.64 million tons of vegetables and 5.89 million tons of fruits in 2001.
Pakistan is the world’s 4th largest exporter of rice. The country's domestic production is estimated to surge 13.6% to an all-time high of 8.4 million tons in the year end June 2021, according to Bloomberg.
Vegetable production rose to about 10 million tons and fruit production increased to nearly 7 million tons in 2015. A little over 60% of Pakistan's agriculture consists of livestock. Pakistan produces 60 million tons of milk and 4.5 million tons of meat. Fish production adds up to about 575,000 tons.
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| Pakistan's Rising Rice Exports. Source: Bloomberg |
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| Share of Land For Various Crops in Pakistan |
Crop yields in Pakistan are low, mainly due to poor quality inputs like seeds. In addition to fertilizer and water, seed is the basic input for agriculture sector and has a major role in enhancing agriculture productivity. This needs to be a key area of focus for Pakistani policymakers working on agriculture.
Other critical area is post-harvest handling, particularly storage and transportation that is in desperate need of improvement. Post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables due to mishandling of the perishable product, poor transportation, and inadequate storage facilities and market infrastructure account for about 30%–40% of total production, according to experts at Asian Development Bank.
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| World's 5th Largest Population of Chicken in Pakistan |
Improvements in agriculture inputs and modernization of post-harvest process require significant financing and investment. Growers get only a small fraction of value of what they produce, making it difficult for them to make these investments. Middlemen finance farmers and take the lion's share of profits in the value chain.
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| Source: FAO via Kleffmann Group |
Most of the farmers sell their produce to wholesalers via middlemen called arthis, according to an ADB report. Farmers contract out fruit orchards during the flowering stage to the middlemen (arthis), commission agent, and/or wholesalers who provide loans to the farmers over the course of production. Vegetables and fruits are transported by the same cart or truck from farms to the main markets in the absence of specialized vehicles for specific products. The same vehicle is used for many other purposes including animal transportation. Recently however, reefer (refrigerated) trucks have been introduced on a limited scale in some parts of Pakistan. In the absence of direct access of carrier vehicles to the farms, farmers gather their products in a convenient spot along the roadside for pickup. When middlemen or contractors are involved, it is their responsibility to collect and transport the produce. The unsold produce in one market is sent to other markets in the same locality.
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| Date Palms in Sindh, Pakistan. Photo: Emmanuel Guddu |
Investments in modernization of the agriculture production process and farm-to-market value chain will require major reforms to ensure growers get a bigger share of the value. The extraordinary power of the middlemen (arthis) as financiers needs to be regulated. This can not happen without legislation in close consultation with the growers. Improving agriculture inputs and modernizing value chains can help raise the productivity of the farm sector for it to serve both domestic and export markets better.
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Riaz Haq
Adeel Afzal
@AdeelAfzal06
Pakistan secures 4-year US approval to export seafood under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Protection Act. FY25 seafood exports already up 11.4% to $489m; compliance could lift earnings toward $600m.
A key boost for sustainable fisheries and global market access. 🐟🇵🇰
https://x.com/AdeelAfzal06/status/1961768830914494489
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China tariffs pave way for high seafood exports to US
Pakistan can tap full potential as Washington extends authorisation by 4 years
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564228/china-tariffs-pave-way-for-hig...
China has lost the entire seafood market in the US following higher duties, market sources said, adding that Beijing was expected to shift its seafood market to Pakistan for exports to the US. Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced on Saturday that Pakistan has received authorisation that gave extension for the export of fish and fish-related products to the United States by another four years.
In a statement, the minister said that the decision reflects international recognition of the quality of Pakistan's seafood and would create long-term stability for the sector. "The extension is expected to bolster our position in the global seafood market by securing access to one of the world's largest seafood importers," he said. The federal minister explained that the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified all Pakistani fisheries on its List of Foreign Fisheries as "comparable" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
"This classification confirms that Pakistan's fisheries meet US standards for protecting marine mammals from incidental mortality and serious injury during fishing operations," he said.
The MMPA requires fisheries to minimise marine mammal by-catch, adopt conservation practices and take sustainable measures that also support healthier marine ecosystems.
Aug 31, 2025
Riaz Haq
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the date industry through joint investments, technology sharing, and the establishment of advanced processing facilities to promote value-added exports.
The agreement was made during a virtual meeting between Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and UAE focal person Ms. Simisola Nicola Abere, alongside senior officials from both sides.
Rana Tanveer highlighted Pakistan’s strong date production of over 500,000 tonnes annually and emphasized that UAE collaboration could help improve processing, exports, and farmer livelihoods.
#PakistanUAE #Agriculture #DatesExport #ValueAddition #FoodSecurity
https://www.dawn.com/news/1952068
ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates will establish three date processing plants in Pakistan under a new cooperation framework to be formalised through a memorandum of understanding soon, the Ministry of National Food Security said on Wednesday.
Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain held a virtual meeting with UAE representatives, including Ms Simisola Nicola Abere, to finalise details of the collaboration aimed at promoting value addition and boosting Pakistan’s global competitiveness in the date sector.
The plants will be set up in major date-producing regions such as Sindh and Balochistan.
Both sides agreed to expedite implementation following the MoU signing, with coordination handled through the ministry’s secretary.
Pakistan produces over half a million tonnes of dates annually on more than 100,000 hectares, with exports exceeding $50 million to markets including the UAE, UK, Germany, Australia and Türkiye.
Ms Abere said the UAE would accelerate efforts to operationalise the projects under the cooperation framework.
Nov 3, 2025
Riaz Haq
Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rise 24% to $240 million in 2025
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2627913/pakistan
The Chinese embassy cites strong growth in agricultural trade with Pakistan
Islamabad aims to expand food exports amid effort to boost foreign reserves
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rose 24% year-on-year to $240 million in the first 11 months of 2025, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on Wednesday, highlighting growing agricultural trade between the two countries.
China is one of Pakistan’s largest seafood export markets, alongside destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam and countries in the Middle East. Pakistan exports fish, shrimp and other marine products sourced from coastal areas in Balochistan and Sindh, including Gwadar, Pasni and Karachi, with shipments typically consisting of frozen fish, frozen shrimp and a smaller volume of processed seafood.
The figure cited by the Chinese embassy fits into a longer upward trend, supported by rising Chinese demand, improvements in cold-chain logistics and market access approvals for Pakistani exporters.
“Pakistan’s seafood exports to China hit [nearly] $240 million from Jan-Nov 2025, soaring by 24% compared with the same period in 2024, which fully shows the strong vitality of the agricultural trade between China & Pakistan,” the embassy said. “[China looks] forward to more export of high-quality Pakistani products to China in the future.”
China is Pakistan’s closest regional ally and a key destination for its agricultural and food exports, which Islamabad has been seeking to expand to bolster foreign exchange earnings.
The two countries enjoy strong strategic and economic cooperation, with Chinese support seen as vital to Pakistan’s efforts to diversify its export base beyond textiles and reduce reliance on external financing.
Beijing and Islamabad are also working closely on energy and infrastructure projects as part of broader efforts to enhance regional connectivity and support industrial development in Pakistan.
21 hours ago