Pakistan has imported food items worth $5.022 billion during the first six months (July – December) of the ongoing fiscal year.
The imports of food items, during the first six months of the FY 2022-23, were 2.2% or $108 million higher than the imports during the same period last year, an official source told the scribe. The imports of food items in July to December period of FY 2021-22 were $4.914 billion, the source said.
Of the total 12 food items, the imports of five products increased, while the remaining showed a downward trend in imports. Cooking oil was the biggest chunk of the total food imports and increased by $356 million to $2.297 billion, up from $1.942 billion during the same period.
The import of cooking oil has registered an increase of 18% from July to December 2022-23. The imports of vegetables and lentils jacked up by 44% during the first six months of the current fiscal and registered an increase of $234 million reaching $759 million from $525 million.
The import of wheat increased by 29% from July to December of the ongoing fiscal and increased by $137 million, reaching $606 million from $469 million during the same period of the last fiscal year.
Tea and coffee imports have increased by 7% during the period under review and surged by $20 million, reaching $320 million from $300 million.
Similarly, the imports of tobacco products went up by 8% during the first six months of the current fiscal and registered an increase of $1 million, reaching $18 million from the earlier $17 million.
The import of sugar has declined by 98% during the first two quarters of the ongoing fiscal year and dropped by $185 million to $3 million, down from $188 million.
The import of oil seeds has also shown a drastic reduction of 40% during the first two quarters of the ongoing fiscal year and dropped by $334 million to hit $492 million.
The imports of spices, dairy, livestock, fruits, and nuts have decreased by 36%, 32%, and 28%, respectively. The imports of spices were reduced by $45 million during the period under review to $78 million, down from $123 million.
The imports of dairy and livestock reduced by $10 million during the period under review to $21 million from $31 million. The imports of fruits and nuts have declined by $44 million, going from $154 million to $110 million.
