Wheat exports post 100pc raise

ISLAMABAD: Wheat exports from the country during the first half of the current financial year registered 100 percent increase as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

About 274 metric tons of wheat, worth $0.066 million was exported during the period from July-December 2015 as compared to the same period last fiscal.

According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), spices export also witnessed 15.24 percent increase and about 9,889 metric tons of spices valuing $34.885 million were exported.

The country earned $30.271 million by exporting about 9,142 metric tons of spices of different kinds during the first two quarters of the last financial year, it added.  Meanwhile, meat and meat preparation exports registered 20.88 percent increase and about 38,672 metric tons of meat and meat products worth $132.036 million were exported, the data revealed.

Meat and meat products exports were recorded at 34,704 metric tons costing $109.226 million during the first six months of the last financial year.

During the first half of the current financial year, vegetable exports increased by 33.89 percent and about 276,544 metric tons of fresh vegetables worth $80.130 million were exported. Vegetable exports were recorded at 212,575 metric tons valuing $59.807 million during the same period of last financial year, the PBS data revealed.

However, during last two quarters of the current financial year, food group exports from the country decreased by 10.63 percent and reached at $1.863 billion as compared to $2.084 billion in the same period last fiscal. The food group import in the country also reduced by 6.56 percent during first six months of the current financial year.

Food commodities worth $2.625 billion were imported during the period from July-December 2015 as compared to imports of $2.810 billion of the corresponding period last fiscal.

On month on month basis, both import and export of food commodities remained on down track, as import of food group reduced by 4.48 percent whereas export of food group registered 19.19 decrease.