By: Faisal Shahzad
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has said that tea imports into the country during first 8 months of current financial year increased by 10.13 per cent as compared to the imports of the same period of last year. The PBS said from July-February 2023-24, 180,509 metric tons of tea costing at $436.677 million were imported to Pakistan as against the imports of 161,056 metric tons valued $395.489 million of the same period of last year.
It said that on monthly basis, the tea imports into Pakistan increased by 38.53 percent as 18,685 metric tons of tea costing at $45.269 million consumed as compared to the consumption of 15,365 metric tons valued $32.678 million of the same month of the past year.
However, the imports of edible oil including palm and soyabean into Pakistan during the period under review dropped by 32.47 percent and 48.10 percent respectively as compared to the imports of the same period of the previous year. Palm oil imports into Pakistan declined from $2.681 billion to $1.810 billion as around 1.959 million metric tons of palm oil were imported as compared to the imports of 1.115 million metric tons of the same period previous year.
The PBS stated that 97,455 metric tons of soyabean oil costing at $105.664 million were imported as compared to the imports of 140,120 metric tons valued $203.578 million, showing cut of 48.10 percent.
The food group exports from the country during the first 8 months of the current financial year increased by 54.05 percent as compared to the exports of the same period of the last year. The PBS said that from July-February, 2023-24, various food items worth $4.969 billion were exported as compared to the exports of 3.225 billion in the same period of the previous year.
Meanwhile, the imports of food items into Pakistan during the first eight months of the current fiscal year dropped by 18.33 percent as against the imports of the same period of last year. The imports of food items during the period under review decreased from $6.687 billion to $5.461 billion.
