Pakistan, Oct. 19 -- Pakistan's non-textile exports fell by 16.54% during the first quarter (July-September) of the ongoing fiscal year 2025-26, mainly due to a steep decline in raw food exports. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), overall non-textile export earnings decreased from $3.85 billion last year to $2.825 billion this year. The major contributor to this decline was a sharp fall in rice exports, marking the first drop after 19 consecutive months of growth.

The PBS report revealed that rice exports plunged by 42.02% year-on-year, affecting both basmati and non-basmati categories. Basmati rice exports saw a 45.56% fall in quantity and 43.64% in value, while non-basmati exports dropped 41.10% in v...