KARACHI: Pakistani rice, fodder and fruit exporters are looking to expand sales to Saudi Arabia as the two countries work toward raising Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to the Kingdom to $3 billion within two years.

The target was agreed during an Aug. 26-28 visit to Islamabad by a delegation led by Saudi Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, as the two countries seek to deepen cooperation on agriculture and food security.

Rice, red meat, fruits and fruit concentrates, green fodder and water-efficient agricultural technologies were identified as priority areas, with the two sides seeking greater private-sector cooperation and investment.

Pakistan exported about 169,000 tons of rice worth $163 million to Saudi Arabia in 2025, according to a joint statement issued after the visit, while the Kingdom expressed interest in increasing purchases.

“Saudi is the world’s second largest market, and they import 1200,000 tons of basmati rice,” Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Chairman Malik Faisal Jahangir told Arab News.

Jahangir said Pakistan currently accounted for 9.6 percent of the 1.2 million tons of annual Saudi rice imports and that exporters wanted to raise that share to 20 percent.

“The discussion that we had with the Saudi side, that was their commitment for April 2024. And we have requested them to fulfill that, which is our existing 9.6 percent share, we want to increase it to 20 percent,” he said.

REAP is targeting around 325,000 tons of rice exports to Saudi Arabia during the current fiscal year, almost twice the volume Pakistan shipped to the Kingdom in 2025.

“We are targeting that, which according to today, if you see, roughly double the current amount that we do,” Jahangir said.

Pakistan’s commerce ministry says upcoming food and agricultural exhibitions will be among the platforms used to connect Pakistani suppliers with Saudi buyers and turn opportunities identified during the talks into commercial partnerships.

The Saudi Food Show 2026 is scheduled in Riyadh from Sept. 27-29, while FoodAg Pakistan 2026 will be held in Karachi from Nov. 23-26.

“Pakistan’s private manufacturers will participate in the exhibitions that will connect buyers with exporters, promote Pakistani products especially premium basmati rice and convert opportunities into commercial partnerships,” commerce ministry spokesperson Naveed-ul-Haq Kallu told Arab News.

He said Pakistani rice, meat and fruit concentrate producers had already presented expansion plans and business models for the Saudi market during the delegation’s visit.

“The two countries will seek joint expansion in many sectors to increase trade,” Kallu added.

The bilateral push comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen food security under its Vision 2030 economic diversification program, while Pakistan is trying to increase exports and foreign exchange earnings as it moves from economic stabilization toward sustainable growth.

Saudi Arabia also imports around 30,000 tons of Pakistani red meat annually, worth approximately $167 million, and expressed interest during the talks in gradually doubling those purchases.

The All Pakistan Meat Exporters and Processors Association had not responded to Arab News requests for comment by the time of publication.

FODDER EXPORTERS EYE SAUDI MARKET

Pakistani fodder exporters are also exploring opportunities in Saudi Arabia, although their shipments to the Kingdom remain a fraction of sales to the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan exported 561,272 tons of animal feed to the UAE in the last fiscal year, compared with just 1,370 tons to Saudi Arabia, according to data provided by the Pakistan Hay Association (PHA).

“Last year, we exported 561,272 tons of animal feed to the UAE, all of which can be shifted to Saudi Arabia,” Sarfaraz Ali Junejo, head of PHA and chief executive of GRJ Agriculture and Livestock Farms, told Arab News.

Any such shift would depend on whether the Saudi market was commercially viable, Junejo said, pointing to higher freight costs because of the greater shipping distance.

“If this market turns profitable, people will cultivate more fodder and export it to Saudi,” he said.

“The talks are going on. Saudis are interested in buying Alfalfa.”

The official joint statement identified green fodder as a promising area for expanded trade and long-term supply partnerships between Saudi and Pakistani businesses.

FRUIT PROCESSORS SEE UNTAPPED MARKET

Pakistani fruit and vegetable processors also see significant room to expand sales but say high tariffs, limited direct links with Saudi buyers and difficulties over recognition of international certifications remain obstacles.

Saudi Arabia imported around $448 million worth of fruit and vegetable concentrates globally in 2025, while Pakistan supplied only $525,000, according to data provided by the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (APFVEA).

That gives Pakistan less than 0.15 percent of the Saudi import market.

Pakistan produces around 6.8 million tons of major fruits annually, according to APFVEA, including 1.8 million tons of mangoes, 2.1-2.5 million tons of mandarins, 800,000 tons of guava, 650,000 tons of dates and 600,000 tons of apples.

Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of APFVEA, said Pakistan could become a significantly larger supplier if market-access barriers were addressed.

“Saudi importers would need to accept internationally recognized third-party certifications such as SGS as a standardized proof of quality to ensure fair and consistent access for Pakistani suppliers,” Ahmed said.

SGS is a global testing, inspection and certification company headquartered in Switzerland.

The issue was also raised during the bilateral talks, with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreeing to facilitate business-to-business links in the fruit and fruit concentrate sectors and encourage steps toward mutual recognition of quality certifications.

‘ARITHMETIC IS DEMANDING’

Despite the opportunities, exporters say Pakistan will face stiff competition as it seeks a larger share of the Saudi market, particularly in basmati rice.

“If your product is basmati rice, there is a huge competition,” Jahangir said.

“People are working at 1 to 2 percent (margin). And our premium that we get from the rest of the world, other than Saudi Arabia, is 15 percent for Pakistani basmati rice.”

Pakistan and India are the world’s leading producers and exporters of basmati rice and compete for buyers in major Gulf markets.

“If we become cheaper than India, then Saudi will not buy a grain from India,” Jahangir said, adding that exporters expected some correction in Pakistani basmati prices this season, although it was too early to provide an accurate estimate.

Commodity analyst Muhammad Waqas Ghani said the direction of the Saudi-Pakistan trade push was positive but cautioned that reaching the $3 billion target would require a substantial increase in actual sales.

“The direction is right, but the arithmetic is demanding,” Ghani, head of research at JS Global Capital Limited, told Arab News.

“Given current export volumes and the focus on market access rather than firm offtake commitments, the actual number may be lower.”

The $3 billion figure is a target the two governments have agreed to work toward rather than a Saudi commitment to purchase that amount of Pakistani goods.

Nevertheless, Ghani said any additional exports would be positive for Pakistan’s balance of payments, generating foreign exchange and supporting the current account without adding to external debt.