Pakistan’s rice shipments reached a record 655,000 tonnes in July and August 2026, the first two months of the current financial year, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and analysis by Arif Habib Limited. Export earnings rose 25 percent year-on-year to about $392 million.
In August alone, rice exports climbed 22 percent to 308,000 tonnes and brought in $192 million, up 31 percent from the same month last year. Basmati rice performed especially well, with its August earnings jumping 70 percent to $88 million. Over the two months, basmati volumes rose 43 percent to 146,000 tonnes and earned $164 million, while other rice varieties increased 15 percent to 509,000 tonnes and generated $228 million.
Rice now accounts for roughly 7.1 percent of Pakistan’s total exports in the period, higher than a year earlier. Overall national exports stood at $5.5 billion, up 8 percent. The strong start follows a weaker previous year and comes as global demand for Pakistani rice, particularly premium basmati, remains firm in key markets.
The rebound is helping the country’s food export group, which earned $833 million in the same two months.