KARACHI: Pakistan’s food import bill rose to a record $8.14bn in FY25, up 3pc from $7.90bn in FY24, as imports of palm oil, soybean oil, pulses and dry fruits reached all-time highs, driven by rising demand and population growth.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, palm oil imports surged to a new peak of 3.213 million tonnes ($3.4bn) in FY25, surpassing the previous record of 3.197m tonnes ($2.66bn) in FY21.

The average per-tonne price rose to $1,056 in FY25 from $927 in FY24.

Soybean oil imports also hit a new high at 321,107 tonnes ($344m) in FY25, compared to 119,845 tonnes ($129m) in FY24 and the previous record of 227,388 tonnes ($315m) in FY23. However, the average price per tonne dipped slightly to $1,070 from $1,081.

Import bill surges to $8.14bn in FY25, driven by palm oil, soybean oil, pulses and dried fruits

Local prices of edible oils remain high despite falling international prices. Sensitive Price Index (SPI) data shows national average prices of branded cooking........

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