Pakistan has witnessed an increase in imports of edible oils during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, as soy oil imports increased by 116.37 % and palm oil rose by 23.42 %, compared to the same period last year, according to the data of the Pakistani Statistics Office.
From July to March 2024-25, the country imported 237,655 metric tons of soy oil, at a value of 251.137 million dollars, a sharp increase of 107,705 metric tons at a value of 116.070 million dollars imported during the same period last year. This mutation in soy oil imports reflects the increasing demand for eating oil in the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan spent $ 2.572 billion on the import of palm oil, and to meet the domestic demand for edible oil, compared to $ 2.084 billion spent during the same period last year. More than 2.489 million tons of palm oil were imported, which represents an increase of 23.24 % compared to 2.263 million tons imported in the previous year.
Despite this increase in edible oil imports, the total food group imports during the first nine months of FY25 showed a slight decrease of 2.74 %, decreasing from 6.290 billion dollars to 6.118 billion dollars compared to the previous year.
On the export front, Pakistan’s dietary exports witnessed a humble growth of 1.62 % during the same period. Total food exports reached 5.749 billion dollars in the first nine months of the fiscal year 25, an increase of 5.658 billion dollars in the corresponding period of last year.