Pakistan, Saudi Arabia target $3bn food exports

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to work towards raising Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to the Kingdom to $3 billion over the next two years.

The agreement was reached during a recent visit by a high-level Saudi delegation to Islamabad, with both sides seeking to expand cooperation in agriculture, food security, trade and investment.

The Saudi delegation, headed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman A Al-Fadley, visited Pakistan from August 26 to 28. It held discussions with Pakistani officials and representatives of the private sector to identify areas where bilateral agricultural trade could be expanded.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met the Saudi delegation and reviewed potential areas of cooperation. The two countries said greater involvement of the private sector would be important for turning the proposed trade expansion into practical projects.

Rice, red meat, fruits and fruit concentrates, green fodder and water-efficient farming technologies have been identified as priority areas.

Pakistan exported around 169,000 tonnes of rice worth $163 million to Saudi Arabia in 2025. The Saudi side expressed interest in increasing rice imports from Pakistan further.

The two countries also discussed the red meat sector. Pakistan currently exports around 30,000 tonnes of red meat annually, valued at about $167 million. Saudi Arabia expressed interest in gradually doubling its imports from Pakistan.

Both sides agreed to facilitate direct business connections between companies working in the fruit and fruit-concentrate sectors. They also discussed mutual recognition of quality certifications to make trade easier and improve market access.

Green fodder was identified as another area with strong potential. The two sides discussed developing long-term supply arrangements to meet demand in the Saudi market.

Water-efficient agriculture also featured prominently in the discussions. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia welcomed the completion of the first phase of a water-efficient irrigation project in Bhakkar, Punjab, and expressed interest in extending the initiative to a second phase focused on small farmers.

The Saudi delegation also encouraged Pakistan to join the International Dates Council, a proposal welcomed by the Pakistani side.

Investment opportunities in livestock, agricultural processing and the rice value chain were also reviewed. Both sides agreed to maintain coordination to move potential private-sector projects forward.

During the visit, the Saudi delegation visited the National Agricultural Research Centre and held meetings with representatives of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, Fauji Foundation and the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Agri Business Forum.

Pakistan has also been invited to participate in the 43rd Saudi Agriculture Exhibition in Riyadh from October 19 to 22, 2026.

Both countries reaffirmed their longstanding strategic partnership and said Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 food-security objectives offer significant opportunities for Pakistan’s agricultural export sector.