Farmers harvest wheat at a field in Multan, Pakistan on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Mansoor Abbas/Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's food exports increased by 1.62 percent in the first nine months of the fiscal year 2024-25 (July 2024 to June 2025), according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Food exports during the July-March period were recorded at 5.75 billion dollars, up from 5.66 billion dollars in the same period a year ago, according to data on the PBS website on Sunday.

Basmati rice exports grew by 8.78 percent in value, reaching 676.96 million dollars, supported by a 21.78 percent rise in volume to 663,980 tons.

In contrast, non-basmati rice exports declined by 9.87 percent in value to 2.08 billion dollars, despite a marginal 0.14 percent increase in quantity to 4.02 million tons. Overall rice exports fell by 5.91 percent in value, totaling 2.76 billion dollars.

The report also showed that fish and fish product exports rose by 8.15 percent during the July-March period, while meat exports posted a marginal growth of 0.99 percent.

Meanwhile, vegetable exports, including onions, potatoes, and tomatoes, dropped by 17.09 percent, and fruit exports declined by 5.04 percent, according to the PBS. ■

A farmer harvests wheat at a field in Multan, Pakistan on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Mansoor Abbas/Xinhua)