Exports across all major sectors, including food items and plastics, recorded a marked decline.
The country’s trade suffered a major setback during the first half of the current financial year. Exports of food items, vegetables, dried fruits and plastic products showed a sharp fall across the board. Rice exports dropped to nearly half their previous level, while dried fruit exports saw the steepest decline, falling by up to 64 per cent.
The government claims of boosting national trade stood contradicted as exports in major sectors declined during the first half of the ongoing financial year. According to an official document, food exports fell by 40.29 per cent between July and December 2025. During this six-month period, food exports stood at $2.36 billion, compared with nearly $4 billion in the same period of the previous financial year.
Documents available with Samaa TV suggested that during the first six months of the 2025–26 financial year, rice exports declined by 49.9 per cent. Vegetable exports fell by 36.8 per cent, while locally produced dried fruits recorded the highest decline of 63.78 per cent. Exports of transport equipment also dropped by 36.51 per cent.
The document said that between July and December, exports of plastic goods declined by 43.66 per cent, while pharmaceutical exports fell by 28.67 per cent. During the first half of the financial year, textile exports showed a marginal increase of 0.90 per cent, with a total value of $9.16 billion.
