ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to expand agricultural exports to Saudi Arabia, particularly Basmati rice, halal meat, livestock products and green fodder.
He made these remarks during a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy, who called on him in Islamabad on Tuesday, according to an official statement.
Both sides expressed their commitment to translating their strong political relations into tangible economic partnerships and expanding cooperation in the agricultural sector.
The discussions focused on following up on the recent visit of the Saudi Minister of Agriculture and establishing a joint technical team to advance cooperation in key priority areas.
Minister for National Food Security and Research @RTanveerPMLN has emphasized Pakistan’s readiness to enhance agricultural exports to Saudi Arabia
#RadioPakistan #News
https://t.co/3FAzAmPAxM https://t.co/dqynxxrT2c— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) November 3, 2026
The meeting was informed that 17 of the 31 Pakistani slaughterhouses assessed by Saudi authorities had received approval following technical evaluations.
The two sides also discussed cooperation across nine identified priority areas, including rice, meat and livestock, green fodder and dried camel milk.
The Saudi Ambassador noted that Pakistani rice currently accounts for around 10 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s total rice imports, highlighting the potential for further growth in Pakistan’s market share.
Both sides agreed to address challenges relating to product quality, competitiveness, supply volumes, packaging and commercial requirements to strengthen Pakistan’s position in the Saudi market.
They also agreed to utilise the recently established technical mechanism to resolve regulatory and trade-related bottlenecks and accelerate progress in the agreed areas of cooperation.
The meeting emphasised the importance of greater private-sector engagement, business-to-business partnerships and investment opportunities to achieve tangible results in the identified areas.
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The Saudi Ambassador assured the Embassy’s support in facilitating coordination with relevant Saudi authorities and resolving outstanding issues through regular bilateral engagement.
Islamabad and Riyadh have maintained close relations for decades and have sought to broaden cooperation across several sectors.
In 2024, the two countries signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion covering multiple areas of cooperation.
The Kingdom remains the country’s largest source of remittances and hosts more than 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates, highlighting the depth of economic and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
