KARACHI: Pakistan’s exports to Saudi Arabia surged by 30.43 percent during the outgoing fiscal year (FY20) since the country sold greater quantity of rice to the Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic, official statistics provided by the commerce ministry confirmed on Tuesday.
“The Saudi government is giving preference to Pakistan while placing orders,” Mian Mehmood, founder-president of the Pak-Saudi Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News. “This explains why our food items and other products, such as Personal Protective Equipment, were exported to Saudi Arabia in bigger numbers.”
According to the official data, Pakistan’s export revenue from Saudi Arabia stood at $336.9 million in 2017 but jumped to $342.08 million in 2019 and $446.18 million in 2020.
Pakistan’s top exports to Saudi Arabia
|
Description |
Exports (2018-19) | Exports (2019-20) |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 74.34 | 113.91 |
| Meat of bovine animals, fresh or chilled | 24.63 | 35.70 |
| Tents & camping goods, tarpaulins, sails for boats, etc. | 16.98 | 22.10 |
| Ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, bay leaves & curry | 19.45 | 21.83 |
| Meat of sheep or goats - fresh, chilled or frozen | 10.85 | 18.21 |
| Ethyl alcohol & other spirits | 5.14 | 17.98 |
| Bed, table, toilet and kitchen linens | 17.37 | 16.43 |
| Men's suits, jackets, trousers etc. & shorts | 9.03 | 12.24 |
| Footwear | 8.83 | 10.84 |
| Citrus fruit, fresh or dried | 5.66 | 9.08 |
Pakistan’s main imports from Saudi Arabia
| Description | Imports (2018-19) | Imports (2019-20) |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude | 1752.24 | 823.33 |
| Polymers of propylene or of other olefins, in primary forms | 279.95 | 252.91 |
| Polymers of ethylene, in primary forms | 257.81 | 236.78 |
| Acyclic alcohols and their halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated or nitrosated derivatives | 197.23 | 131.95 |
| Cyclic hydrocarbons | 166.42 | 105.39 |
| Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excluding crude); preparations containing... | 104.94 | 34.97 |
| Polyacetals, other polyethers and epoxide resins, in primary forms; polycarbonates, alkyd resins, ... | 28.51 | 21.88 |
| Mixed alkylbenzenes and mixed alkylnaphthalenes produced by the alkylation of benzene and naphthalene... | 24.32 | 14.45 |
| Petroleum coke, petroleum bitumen and other residues of petroleum oil or of oil obtained from... | 0.00 | 11.38 |
| Halogenated derivatives of hydrocarbons | 12.72 | 8.94 |
Source: Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan
The country exported $113.91 million of rice to the Kingdom during FY20 as compared to $74.34 million of export during the previous fiscal year, showing a growth of 53.2 percent, according to the data shared by the commerce ministry with Arab News.
Pakistanis exporters say the demand for local rice came from Saudi Arabia after the Indian government shut down its economy by imposing lockdowns to control the spread of the new coronavirus in the neighboring state.
“India exports a huge quantity of rice to Saudi Arabia,” Muhammad Raza, senior vice chairman of the Rice Exporters’ Association of Pakistan, told Arab News. “As India imposed lockdown restrictions, Saudis turned to Pakistan. That was the key reason why our quantum of rice export increased in KSA and other Gulf countries.”
“During the lockdown,” he added, “Pakistan took a positive step and allowed uninterrupted exports from the country which resulted in a nominal decline in our trade revenue instead of a massive drop in it.”
Pakistan’s exports only decreased by 6.81 percent to $21.39 billion during the outgoing fiscal year despite the pandemic, confirm the data maintained by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The country's other main exports to Saudi Arabia included meat of bovine animals ($35.70 million), tents, camping goods, tarpaulins and sails for boats ($22.10 million), spices ($21.83 million) meat of sheep or goats ($18.21 million), and ethyl alcohol and other spirits ($17.98 million).
Pakistani exporters say there is also a rising trend in the export of fruits and vegetables to the Kingdom.
“There is a surge in our sales of mangoes in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries,” Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants’ Association, told Arab News.
However, imports from Saudi Arabia during FY20 declined from $3.213 billion in 2018 to $1.735 billion in 2020.
