Islamabad (Commerce Desk) — Pakistan’s edible oil imports have recorded a significant increase, pushing the import bill to historic levels.
According to the report, the country has spent billions of dollars on edible oil imports alone, making Pakistan one of the major palm oil importing countries in the world.
Data shows that despite being an agricultural country, local production of edible oil remains very low, and only a limited portion of total demand is met through domestic output.
The report further stated that edible oil imports have steadily increased over the past few years, mainly due to insufficient growth in the cultivation of oilseed crops at the local level.
Experts believe that increasing the cultivation of alternative crops could reduce import dependency and also benefit the agricultural sector.