Pakistan’s rice exports have recorded a strong performance, significantly impacting the global rice trade and surpassing Vietnam’s position as the third-largest rice exporter worldwide. In December 2025, Pakistan achieved a 14% month-on-month (MoM) increase in rice exports compared to November 2025. This growth was driven largely by a 50% MoM rise in Basmati rice exports, positioning Pakistan ahead of Vietnam, whose December exports stood at 387,000 tons, compared to Pakistan’s 489,000 tons (excluding Iran-bound exports).

December 2025 marked Pakistan’s best rice export performance in the last nine months of the year. The United Arab Emirates emerged as the top destination with imports of 74,897 tons, including 16,850 tons of Basmati rice. China closely followed with 74,685 tons, while other major markets included Tanzania, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Malaysia, Madagascar, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and the EU+UK region. These figures highlight the growing global demand for Pakistani rice across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Western markets.

A notable development in December 2025 was the sharp increase in rice exports to Central Asian countries. Pakistan exported over 17,000 tons to Kazakhstan (including 10,300 tons of Basmati) and 10,382 tons to Uzbekistan. This trend indicates that Central Asian states—such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan—are now directly importing significant quantities of rice from Pakistan. Previously, much of this trade remained less visible due to transit through Afghanistan.

Despite these positive developments, Pakistan’s rice export sector continues to face several challenges. Structural, financial, marketing, and capacity-related weaknesses remain unresolved. One major concern is Pakistan’s limited presence in the Iraqi market, which is the second-largest Basmati importer after Saudi Arabia, with imports of around 700,000 tons mainly sourced from India. Turkey also plays a key transit role for Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and the wider Middle East, yet Pakistan’s rice exports to these destinations remain minimal. Addressing these gaps is essential for sustaining long-term growth and strengthening Pakistan’s position in the global rice market.