ISLAMABAD: Pakistan earned $10,000 by exporting 27 metric tonnes of wheat in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2014-15, a Commerce Ministry source told Customs Today.
Last year, Pakistan earned foreign exchange reserves of $7 million by exporting 20,037 metric tonnes wheat, he added.
The source said that Pakistani exports increased gradually over the period of last three years as value of export was $23.6 billion in year 2011-12 which rose to $24.5 billion in financial 2012-13 showing an increase of 3.5%.
“The value of exports for 2013-14 also showed positive trend and final value of the said year is $ 25.1 billion showing an increase of 2.7%,” source added.
The source said that Pakistan exported fruits and vegetables worth of $648.4 million in financial year 2013-14 however value of export of both these items remained at $ 96.5 million during first three months of the current fiscal year (July-September 2014).
“Pakistan exported potatoes fresh & frozen), onion (fresh & dried) and shallots, garlic, leek, peas, chilli, leguminous vegetables, mushrooms (fresh), frozen, mixture of vegetable, preserved vegetables, mushroom genus agri and jelly fungi dry cut,” he said, adding that naming the exported fruits which included bananas fresh, dates dried, figs, guavas, mangoes, mangos teens, mango pulp, oranges, kinnow fresh, citrus fruits, fresh melons, apricots, dried; fresh, plums and sloes, cranberries, bilberry, strawberries, frozen, raspberries, blue berries, nuts, cherries, pine nuts, peaches, plums, and other dried fruits.
He said that imports also increased several times and China remained at the top list of exporter countries to Pakistan. Pakistan imported fruits and vegetables worth $1.637 million in July this year while value of imports of these commodities remained $537 million in previous financial year.
Similarly, the source said that Pakistan imported vegetables, including fresh-chilled leguminous vegetables, mixture of vegetables, frozen onions and whole dried cut mushroom genus as well as fruits, including pineapples, citrus fruits, pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries and mixtures of fruit nuts and plants.
