Syed Irfan Raza
August 30, 2026
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley pose in Islamabad on Aug 28, 2026. — PID
Islamabad and Riyadh have agreed to boost Pakistani agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia up to $3 billion, the countries said in a joint statement on Sunday.
The statement, shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said the agreement was reached after “successful” talks between Saudi Arabia’s agriculture ministry and Pakistan’s food security ministry, at the initiative of PM Shehbaz Sharif.
At the invitation of the Pakistani government, a Saudi delegation led by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley
visited Islamabad from August 26 to August 28.
The delegation included senior officials from Riyadh’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the General Food Security Authority and other relevant institutions.
PM Shehbaz met the Saudi delegation and discussed potential areas of cooperation in detail, the joint statement said, referring to Friday’s meeting.
“The two countries expressed their shared commitment to increase Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia to $3bn, with efforts to be made to achieve the target over the next two years,” it read.
“For this purpose, rice, red meat, fruits and their concentrates, green fodder and water-efficient agricultural technologies were identified as priority sectors in collaboration with the Saudi private sector.”
