Pakistan’s rice exports hit record 655,000 tonnes in first two months of FY2027
Pakistan exported a record 655,000 tonnes of rice in July-August FY2027, up 20% year on year, while earnings rose 25% to $392 million. Basmati led the rebound, with volumes increasing 43% and export proceeds climbing 53%.
Export growth outpaces Pakistan’s broader trade recovery
Pakistan exported a record 655,000 tonnes of rice in the first two months of FY2027, a 20% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to data compiled by Arif Habib Limited and reported by Profit. Export earnings advanced even faster, rising 25% to $392 million. The figures point to a strong opening for a sector that faced weaker volumes, lower international prices and renewed Indian competition during the preceding fiscal year.
Rice generated 7.1% of Pakistan’s total export revenue in July and August, compared with 6.2% a year earlier. The country’s overall exports rose 8% to $5.504 billion from $5.102 billion. Rice therefore expanded its contribution faster than the wider export basket, with Basmati alone accounting for 3% of national exports, up from 2.1%, while other rice retained a 4.1% share.
Basmati delivers the strongest gains
Basmati shipments reached 146,000 tonnes during the two-month period, 43% above the 102,000 tonnes exported a year earlier. Their value increased 53% to $164 million from $107 million. Shipments of other rice rose by a more moderate 15%, from 443,000 tonnes to 509,000 tonnes, while earnings increased 10% to $228 million from $207 million. Basmati’s value growth above its volume growth indicates a stronger revenue performance than in the broader rice category.
The August data reinforced that pattern. Total rice shipments increased 22% year on year to 308,000 tonnes from 252,000 tonnes, although they were 27% below July’s 346,000 tonnes. August export proceeds climbed 31% to $192 million from $146 million. Basmati volumes rose 58% to 78,000 tonnes and earnings surged 70% to $88 million. Other rice shipments increased 14% to 231,000 tonnes, with revenue up 10% to $104 million.
Recovery follows a difficult adjustment
Arif Habib Limited linked the rebound to normalization after FY2025, when India’s return to non-Basmati exports increased competition. The brokerage said higher rice acreage, weaker economics for cotton, greater water availability associated with increased solarization and improved farm economics likely supported the recovery. Production had already risen 2.8% to 9.99 million tonnes in 2025-26 despite a 3.6% reduction in cultivated area, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey cited by Daily Times. Yield improved 6.6% to 2,660 kilograms per hectare.
The latest gains follow substantial volatility in Pakistan’s rice trade. State Bank of Pakistan data cited by Daily Times put exports at a record $3.9 billion in FY2023-24, when restrictions on Indian exports created additional room for Pakistani suppliers. The publication reported that Pakistan Bureau of Statistics-based data showed exports falling to about $2.29 billion and 4.29 million tonnes in FY2025-26. Separately, an exporter citing Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan records placed FY2024-25 shipments at 5.82 million tonnes worth $3.35 billion, against 6.01 million tonnes valued at $3.93 billion in 2023-24. The strong FY2027 opening restores momentum, but competition from India and movements in international prices remain central risks for Pakistani growers, millers and exporters.
