ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s rice export revenue declined by 14.7% in FY25 to $3.36 billion primarily because of a precipitous decline in global rice prices, as per a report by a brokerage house.
During FY25, Pakistan shipped a total of 5.8 million metric tons (MMT) of rice, which is a modest fall of 3.7% from 6 MMT in FY24. Even though volume fell marginally, the nation’s revenues from exports of rice dropped by 14.7%, down from $3.93 billion during FY24.
The primary cause for the decline in income was the fall in the prices of international rice, especially that of non-basmati rice, which accounts for over 85% of Pakistan’s rice exports. Basmati rice exports did register a volume growth of 3% to 797,000 tons, but the value of these exports declined by 5.2%, down from $877 million to $832 million.
The overall decline in revenue was also attributed to a nearly 9.1% fall in average rice prices. During FY25, the price per kilogram dropped to Rs291.6 from Rs320.8 in FY24.
Exports of non-basmati rice declined by 4.7% in terms of quantity and 17.4% in terms of value due to weaker demand and lower prices in major markets. The export revenue of non-basmati rice was $2.52 billion, down sharply from $3.05 billion last year.
In June 2025, exports of rice in Pakistan declined sharply. Shipments decreased by 40.6% on a month-on-month basis against May 2025 and 37.1% on a year-on-year basis against June 2024. Rice export revenue for June declined to $150 million, which was over 50% less compared to June 2024, and 37.4% down compared to the last month.
Consequently, rice’s contribution to Pakistan’s overall export earnings dropped to 10.5% in FY25 from 12.8% in FY24. Rice is still an important source of foreign exchange earnings for Pakistan despite the setbacks.
