Sector
Agriculture & Food
$5 billion of food a year — basmati with a protected identity, mango and citrus in a counter-seasonal window, and seafood from two coastlines.
- $5.01bn
- food exports, FY26
- $2.29bn
- rice, FY26
- $482m
- fish & seafood, FY26
Why buyers source here
Basmati is a differentiated product
Long-grain aromatic rice from a specific geography with a specific character. It is not a commodity substitute, and it prices accordingly.
A counter-seasonal window
Pakistani mango, citrus and vegetables land in northern-hemisphere markets outside local supply windows, which is where the premium is.
Duty-free into the EU
GSP+ covers most agri-food lines, and Pakistani exporters claim the preference on roughly 95% of eligible shipments.
Certified exporters, not just producers
The units shipping to European retail hold GlobalG.A.P., HACCP and BRCGS and test to destination residue limits. Ask for the certificates — the serious exporters lead with them.
Pakistan exported food commodities worth $5.01 billion in FY26, and the composition tells a buyer more than the total does. Rice accounted for roughly $2.29 billion. Fish and seafood came to about $482 million across some 215,000 tonnes. Fruit contributed around $308 million.
Basmati is the anchor
Basmati is not interchangeable with other long-grain rice, and buyers who work with it know that. Grain length, aroma and cooking behaviour come from a specific geography and specific varieties, and Pakistan is one of only two countries that grow it at scale. For a retailer or food manufacturer it is a named, differentiated ingredient rather than a commodity line — which is why it holds a premium that ordinary long-grain does not.
Alongside it sits a real seasonal advantage. Pakistani mango, kinnow and several vegetable lines arrive in northern-hemisphere markets outside local supply windows. Counter-seasonality is where fresh produce earns its margin, and Pakistan's calendar is well positioned for European and Gulf buyers.
Compliance: what to ask, and what you will get
Food is the category where certification is not paperwork around the product — it is part of the product. The exporters serving European retail here hold GlobalG.A.P. at farm level, HACCP or ISO 22000 through processing, and BRCGS where the buyer requires it, and they test against destination residue limits as routine.
It is worth being direct about why that matters, because the sector learned it the hard way. Basmati shipments to the EU fell around 41% in the twelve months to September 2025 on pesticide residue and aflatoxin failures — a problem that originated upstream at farm level, in agrochemicals applied outside their approved use. The industry's response, through the exporters' association, the Basmati Foundation and TDAP, has been grower training on residue limits across Punjab and Sindh. The practical implication for a buyer is simple: this is a supply base where the difference between a compliant exporter and a careless one is large, and worth verifying.
Ask for the residue results with the offer, not with the shipment. Exporters who work with European retail will already have them.
That is the gap a verified supplier record closes. Al-Ukaz reviews companies at the company level and checks certifications against their issuer, so a buyer can tell which exporter is audited, current and used to European requirements before making contact.
What Pakistan makes
- Rice
- Basmati and long-grain white rice — the single largest food export line by value, at roughly $2.29 billion in FY26.
- Fruit & vegetables
- Mango, kinnow and citrus, dates, potato and onion, fresh and increasingly processed.
- Seafood
- Shrimp, crab and finfish from the Sindh and Balochistan coast — about $482 million in FY26.
- Processed foods
- Pulses, spices, confectionery, juice concentrate and packaged foods — the fastest-growing end.
Where it is made
- Punjab rice belt
- Gujranwala, Hafizabad and Sheikhupura — the basmati heartland and its mills.
- Multan & southern Punjab
- Mango and citrus, with the packing and cold-chain capacity that supports them.
- Sindh
- Long-grain rice, dates, bananas and the Karachi processing and export base.
- Coastal Balochistan & Karachi
- Seafood landing, processing and freezing.
Standards this sector works to
What to ask for when you qualify a supplier in this category, and what an established exporter will already hold. Al-Ukaz checks these against the issuing body rather than taking an upload on trust.
GlobalG.A.P.
Good agricultural practice at farm level. The usual entry requirement for EU fresh produce.
HACCP · ISO 22000
Food safety management through processing and packing.
BRCGS
Held by the exporters serving UK and European retail.
Pesticide MRL testing
Residue results against your destination's limits. Ask for them by consignment — good exporters test as a matter of course.
Phytosanitary & halal
Consignment-level certification, plus halal for a large share of destination markets.
Sourcing agriculture & food from Pakistan?
Tell us what you are looking for — category, volumes, the certifications you need — and we will point you at verified manufacturers who can serve it. Al-Ukaz operates under the endorsement of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan.
Talk to us about sourcingManufacture in this sector?
Get on the record buyers are being pointed at. Registration for Pakistani manufacturers is open now.
Join the founding cohortSources
- The Nation — Food commodities worth $5.01 billion exported in FY2026
- Dawn — EU pesticide rules hit Basmati exports
- TDAP — Pakistan export strategy: fruits and vegetables, 2023–2027
Figures are as reported at the dates given and are provisional where the underlying series is. Where published estimates differ, the range is stated in the text.
