Islamabad, Riyadh agree to boost Pakistani agri and food exports to $3bn

Islamabad, Riyadh agree to boost Pakistani agri and food exports to $3bn.

Key points

• Syed Irfan Raza Published August 30, 2026 Updated August 30, 2026 05: 46pm.
• According to The delegations, pakistan supplied around 169, 000 tonnes of rice worth concerning $163 million to the Saudi market in 2025.
• Pakistan additionally welcomed an invitation to participate in the 43rd Saudi Agriculture Exhibition, scheduled to be held in Riyadh from October 19 to 22.
• The delegation included senior authorities from Riyadh's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the General Food Security Authority and other relevant institutions.
• Follow Dawn Business on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and throughout the world.

Syed Irfan Raza Published August 30, 2026 Updated August 30, 2026 05: 46pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Islamabad and Riyadh have agreed to boost Pakistani agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia up to $3 billion, the countries remarked in a joint statement on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the statement, shared by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), remarked the agreement was reached after "successful" negotiations between Saudi Arabia's agriculture ministry and Pakistan's food security ministry, at the initiative of PM Shehbaz Sharif.

At the invitation of the Pakistani administration, a Saudi delegation led by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley visited Islamabad from August 26 to August 28.

In practice, the delegation included senior authorities from Riyadh's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the General Food Security Authority and other relevant institutions.

PM Shehbaz met the Saudi delegation and discussed potential areas of cooperation in detail, the joint statement remarked, referring to Friday's gathering.

"The two countries expressed their shared commitment to increase Pakistan's agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia to $3bn, with efforts to be made to achieve the target over the next two years, " it read.

"For this purpose, rice, red meat, fruits and their concentrates, green fodder and water-efficient agricultural technologies were identified as priority sectors in collaboration with the Saudi private sector."

During the visit, the two sides held briefings on the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Agriculture and Food Strategic Plan and meetings with the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Fauji Foundation and the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Agri-Business Forum. The Saudi delegation additionally visited the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC).

Reaffirming their deep and historic ties, the two sides highlighted the solid alignment between Saudi Arabia's food security priorities under Vision 2030 and Pakistan's agricultural and food export sector.

According to The delegations, pakistan supplied around 169, 000 tonnes of rice worth concerning $163 million to the Saudi market in 2025. The Saudi team expressed interest in further increasing bilateral rice trade in the coming years, according to the joint statement.

As both sides reviewed Islamabad's annual supply of around 30, 000 tonnes of red meat worth approximately $167m, furthermore, the Saudi delegation expressed interest in gradually doubling imports of red meat from Pakistan.

Regarding fruits and fruit concentrates, the two sides highlighted significant potential to further growth Pakistan's share of the Saudi market. As well as the mutual recognition of quality certifications, they encouraged measures to facilitate business-to-business linkages and matchmaking between the private sectors of the two countries.

Notably, the Saudi side identified green fodder as a promising area for expanding trade and establishing long-term supply partnerships, the joint statement remarked.

Both countries welcomed the successful completion of the first phase of a water-efficient irrigation programme in Punjab's Bhakkar and expressed interest in a proposed second phase targeting small farmers.

In practice, the Saudi delegation additionally encouraged Pakistan to join the International Dates Council, a proposal welcomed by the Pakistani side.

In practice, the two sides additionally reviewed investment proposals proposed by Pakistan's private sector in livestock, agri-food processing and the rice value chain, and agreed to maintain coordination to pursue cooperation in these areas. "Both countries reaffirmed their broader strategic partnership, " the statement read.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the visit and agreed to maintain coordination to translate the understandings reached into practical cooperation.

For context, the Pakistani delegation was led by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and included its Secretary Aamir Ali Ahmed, Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul, PM's Coordinator for Agriculture and Food Security Ahmed Umair, and private-sector representatives from Pakistan's rice, red meat, processed food/fruit concentrate and green fodder sectors.

When he expressed interest in investing in corporate farming in Pakistan's rice sector, prior to the Saudi delegation's visit this week, Assistant Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Mubarak had toured Islamabad in February.

For now, islamabad, Riyadh agree to boost Pakistani agri and food exports to $3bn remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.