Shahjahan Khurram

• Announcement comes after Saudi minister for water, environment, agriculture’s visit to Pakistan this week
• Saudi Arabia agrees to increase rice, red meat and fruit exports from Pakistan to improve food security

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Riyadh agreed on Sunday to enhance cooperation in the areas of food security and agricultural coordination by committing to raise Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia to $3 billion within the next two years, a joint statement from both nations said. 

The joint statement was issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after Saudi minister of environment, water and agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, held meetings with senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad from Aug. 26-28. 

Al-Fadhli headed a Saudi delegation that met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, during which the two sides explored ways to increase investment in the fields of agriculture and food security. The joint statement said the Pakistani and Saudi delegations highlighted the strong alignment between Saudi Arabia’s food security priorities under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s agricultural and food export sectors in the meetings.

“Both countries expressed a shared commitment to increasing Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia to $3 billion, with efforts to achieve this target over the next two years,” the statement said.

“To this end, rice, red meat, fruits and their concentrates, green fodder, and agricultural technologies focused on efficient water use were identified as priority sectors in cooperation with the Saudi private sector.”

The press release mentioned that both sides took note that Pakistan supplied approximately 169,000 tons of rice to the Kingdom in 2025 which was valued at $163 million. It said the Saudi delegation expressed interest in increasing bilateral rice trade between the two nations in the coming years. 

Similarly, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia reviewed Islamabad’s annual supply of approximately 30,000 tons of red meat valued at $167 million. The Saudi delegation expressed an interest in gradually doubling red meat imports from Pakistan, it added. 

“Regarding fruits and their concentrates, both sides highlighted significant potential for further increasing Pakistan’s share of the Saudi market,” the statement added. 

The Saudi delegation led by Al-Fadhli identified green fodder as a “promising sector” for expanding trade and establishing long-term supply partnerships, the joint statement said. 

Both countries welcomed the successful completion of the first phase of a water-efficient irrigation program in the eastern city of Bhakkar, expressing interest in the second phase which will provide benefit to small-scale farmers.

The Saudi delegation also encouraged Pakistan to join the International Dates Council, which was welcomed by the Pakistani side. Based in Saudi Arabia, the council focuses on promoting and developing the date palm industry within the Kingdom and abroad.

“Both sides also reviewed investment proposals presented by Pakistan’s private sector in the areas of livestock, agri-food processing and the rice value chain,” the joint statement said. 

Pakistan welcomed Saudi Arabia’s invitation for it to participate in the 43rd Saudi Agriculture Exhibition, scheduled to be held in Riyadh from Oct. 19-22.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have sought to translate their decades-long brotherly relations into stronger cooperation in the defense, agriculture, livestock, economy, investment, trade and other domains. 

This has led to the two sides signing key agreements relating to economic, defense, and trade cooperation in recent months. 

Published Date: August 31, 2026