IslamabadWheat imports into the country during the first four months of the current fiscal year recorded a 100 percent decline compared to imports for the corresponding period last year.
During the period from July-October 2023-24, the country spent $166,633 million on importing more than 556,903 metric tons of wheat to meet local needs, which recorded zero during the same period of the current fiscal year, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
She added that imports of pulses also decreased by 7.27 percent, reaching 430,177 metric tons, worth $287,837 million, compared to imports of 516,666 metric tons, worth $321,140 million for the same period last year.
However, fertilizer imports to the country witnessed a significant increase of 121.36% during the first four months of the current fiscal year (July – October 2024) compared to imports for the corresponding period last year.
She added that during this period, the country imported more than 612,622 metric tons of fertilizer worth $374,876 million, a sharp rise from 334,675 metric tons worth $169,262 million in the corresponding months of 2023.
In addition to fertilisers, the country’s imports of medical products also witnessed an increase of 18.59%, as 12,441 metric tons worth $406,452 million were imported, compared to 25,312 metric tons worth $342,730 million during the same period of the previous year.
On the other hand, pesticide imports decreased by 31.49%, with imports recording 8,717 metric tons worth $44.831 million, down from 13,226 metric tons worth $65.441 million during the same period in 2023.
Meanwhile, imports of plastics saw a slight decline of 1.85%. The country imported 630,414 metric tons of plastic worth $790,156 million, compared to 657,633 metric tons worth $805,090 million in the first four months of the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
In total, the country spent $3.066 billion on imports of agriculture and other chemicals during the period from July to October 2024, up from $2.848 billion in the same months last year.
Moreover, agricultural machinery imports also witnessed a sharp rise of 70.92%, with the value of imported machinery reaching $39,616 million, compared to $23,178 million during the same period last year.