Establishment of Pakistan–Saudi Arabia food export task force urged

KARACHI: Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan and Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, has proposed establishing a joint Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Agri-Food Export Task Force, setting product-specific targets and publishing monthly progress reports. He said approvals of Pakistani slaughterhouses, meat-processing units and packaging houses should be expedited. He also stressed the need to invest in cold-storage facilities, refrigerated transport, and reliable maritime links with Jeddah and Dammam. He said Pakistan should export value-added branded products instead of raw commodities, including basmati rice, packaged halal meat, fruit pulp, juice concentrates, jams, jellies, marmalade, tomato ketchup, frozen foods and ready-to-eat products. Welcoming Pakistan–Saudi Arabia conclusion to raise Pakistan’s annual agricultural and food exports to the Kingdom to $3 billion annually within the next two years, he said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement has provided a foundation and direction to relations among the three countries. The progress in agricultural and food trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia immediately after the defence agreement demonstrates that mutual trust is now being translated into strong economic partnership. Mian Zahid Hussain said the efforts of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to make agriculture and food security an important pillar of Pakistan–Saudi Arabia economic relations resulted in a high-level Saudi delegation visiting Islamabad from August 26 to 28. The delegation, headed by Saudi Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, identified rice, halal meat, fresh fruits, fruit concentrates, animal feed and water-efficient agricultural technologies as priority sectors. Mian Zahid Hussain said the target is enormous from an economic perspective because Pakistan’s total merchandise exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to approximately $692 million in 2025. Therefore, achieving the annual target of $3 billion will require Pakistan to increase its existing export capacity more than fourfold. Mian Zahid Hussain said Saudi Arabia imports approximately 70 percent of its food requirements, while its food-retail market is valued at more than $50 billion. Pakistan, however, faces strong competition from India, Brazil, Australia and Thailand. Friendship alone will not be sufficient; competitive prices, consistent supply, traceability, quality packaging, halal certification and compliance with Saudi food-safety regulations will play a decisive role in Pakistan’s success. Mian Zahid Hussain said the time has come to integrate the strategic confidence created under the leadership of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir with measurable economic outcomes. Effective implementation of the $3 billion target can substantially increase farmers’ livelihoods, employment, rural industry, exports and Pakistan’s foreign-exchange reserves. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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