NA panel questions Commerce Ministry’s export strategy as Pakistan loses ground in global markets

A National Assembly committee questioned the Commerce Ministry's export strategy on Thursday, as Pakistan's shipments abroad dropped from about $32 billion in FY2024-25 to $30.8 billion in FY2025-26. Committee members pressed the ministry on the reasons behind the fall, according to Profit by Pakistan Today, and asked what steps the government and TDAP were taking to improve competitiveness. Officials conceded that costly energy and imports had priced Pakistani goods out of several overseas markets.

Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul blamed several causes, among them regional developments and the conflict in Afghanistan, for the drop. Shipments of key commodities shrank by over $1.5 billion, with rice showing the sharpest fall at $1.08 billion. Paul argued that subsidies alone could not make Pakistani goods competitive, citing India's roughly $1.5 billion in rice subsidies.

Cotton output has slipped close to a 40-year low, in a range of 5 million to 6.85 million bales. Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said trade with Afghanistan had halted while the borders remained closed. Committee member Asad Alam Niazi alleged that sugar bought roughly $40 above the world rate is now being exported at a discount.