Islamabad, Riyadh agree to boost Pakistani agriculture and food exports to $3B in 2 years

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to boost Pakistani agricultural and food exports to the oil-rich kingdom up to $3 billion within the next two years, a joint statement on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

According to the statement, shared by the prime minister’s office, the agreement was reached after talks between Saudi Arabia’s Agriculture Ministry and Pakistan’s Food Security Ministry, at the initiative of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The development comes after a Saudi delegation led by Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman A. Alfadley visited Islamabad last week. The Pakistani side was led by National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain.

Sharif also met the Saudi delegation and discussed potential areas of bilateral cooperation.

The two sides identified rice, red meat, fruits and fruit concentrates, green fodder and water-efficient agricultural technologies as priority areas for expanding trade and investment, particularly through cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s private sector.

Pakistan supplied about 169,000 tons of rice worth $163 million to Saudi Arabia in 2025. The Saudi side expressed interest in further increasing bilateral trade of rice.

The two sides also reviewed Pakistan’s annual exports of around 30,000 tons of red meat valued at approximately $167 million. The Saudi side expressed interest in gradually doubling its imports of Pakistani red meat.

Green fodder was also identified as a promising sector for expanding trade and establishing long-term supply partnerships.

The two sides reviewed investment proposals from Pakistan’s private sector in livestock, agri-food processing and the rice value chain, agreeing to maintain coordination to advance the projects.

Both countries reaffirmed their longstanding strategic and fraternal ties and highlighted the alignment between Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 food-security priorities and Pakistan’s agricultural export potential.

Islamabad and Riyadh have increased bilaterral defense and economic cooperation in recent years. The two countries signed a a strategic mutual defense agreement last year, and a Mecca Joint Defense Agreement along with Turkiye earlier this month.