The main export products are cotton, rice and fruit and vegetables, and the principal imports are wheat and wheat flour, vegetable oils, pulses, tea and (occasionally) refined sugar.
The exports of various food commodities were recorded at $4,471.703 million during July-April (2021-22) as compared to the exports of $3,717.328 million in July- April (2020-21), according to PBS data.
The food commodities that contribute in positive growth in trade included rice, the exports of which grew by 17.21 percent, from $1,750.045 million to $2,051.307 million.
Among the rice commodities, the exports of Basmati rice went up from $470.195 million to $574.220 million, an increase of 22.12 percent whereas the exports of other rice commodities climbed up from $1,279.850 million to $1,477.087 million, showing growth of 15.41 percent.
The other food commodities that contributed in positive growth included fruits, the exports of which increased by 4.77 percent, from $393.410 million to $412.187 million whereas the exports of vegetable rose by 0.46 percent, from $277.102 million to $278.365 million.
The exports of leguminous vegetables (pulses) increased by 100 percent, from zero exports to $0.068 million; tobacco by 58.87 percent, from $27.799 million to $44.165 million; spices by 16.33 percent, from $77.187 million to $89.794 million; oil seeds, nuts and kernals by 118.93 percent, from $84.595 million to $185.200 million; meat and meat preparations by 1.94 percent, from $279.290 million to $284.699 million whereas the exports of all other food items increased by 63.16 percent, from $475.93 million to $776.490 million.
The food commodities that contribute in negative growth in trade included fish and fish preparations, the exports of which decreased by 0.73 percent, from $351.997 million to $349.427 million.
Meanwhile, on year-on-year basis, the exports of food commodities increased by 35.71 percent during the month of April 2022 as compared to the same month of last year. The food exports during April 2022 were recorded at $523.946 million against the exports of $386.071 million.
On month-on-month basis, the exports of food commodities increased by 2.18 million in April 2022 when compared to the exports of $512.751 million in March 2022, PBS reported.
