Pakistan’s food imports, despite being an agricultural country, have gone up by 15% in the first three months of the fiscal year 2022-23. According to details, Pakistan’s food imports went up to $2.79 billion in July-September 2022. In the corresponding period last year, the imports were at Rs2.11 billion. Wheat imports in July-September shot up by 311% and cost $407 million. Last year, $99 million in wheat was imported in the same time period. Cooking oil imports went up by 34% and cost $1.24 billion. Tobacco imports increased by 26%, and Vegetables and fruits imports by 8%. However, sugar imports dropped by 98%, and Tea and coffee imports by 9%. Earlier in September, the PBS statistics showed that the country’s annual edible imports spiked by 64.54%.

Pakistan’s food imports, including wheat, palm oil, and soybean oil, went up by 64.45% in July and August, data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported. According to PBS statistics, Pakistan has imported food items worth Rs392.83 billion in the first two months of the fiscal year 2022-23. Last year, the country’s food import bill for the same months was Rs238.88, PBS stated. The biggest spike was noticed in the wheat import which went up by a staggering 2435% in the first two months of the fiscal year. Pakistan has imported wheat worth Rs68.49 billion this year, while the wheat import bill for July and August 2021 was only Rs2.70 billion. Additionally, Pakistan imported palm oil worth Rs157.79 billion (68.67% higher than last year), and soybean oil worth Rs9.48 billion (255.36% higher than last year), the PBS data stated.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP