Post-Defence Pact, Partnership in Trade, Investment and Food Security Is a Game Changer: Mian Zahid Hussain
Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, and Former Provincial Minister Information Technology, has welcomed the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia conclusion to raise Pakistan’s annual agricultural and food exports to the Kingdom to $3 billion annually within the next two years. He said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, concluded among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7, has provided a foundation and direction to relations among the three countries. Under this historic agreement, an armed attack on any one country will be considered an attack on all three, while cooperation in defence capabilities, technology and joint defence production will also be expanded. The progress in agricultural and food trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia immediately after the defence agreement demonstrates that mutual trust is now being translated into strong economic partnership.
Mian Zahid Hussain said the efforts of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to make agriculture and food security an important pillar of Pakistan–Saudi Arabia economic relations resulted in a high-level Saudi delegation visiting Islamabad from August 26 to 28. The delegation, headed by Saudi Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, identified rice, halal meat, fresh fruits, fruit concentrates, animal feed and water-efficient agricultural technologies as priority sectors. He said the confidence generated by the Makkah Defence Agreement is now being translated into investment, trade, secure supply chains and long-term procurement agreements. Pakistan has the capacity to meet a substantial portion of Saudi Arabia’s food requirements, while Saudi investment can modernise and develop Pakistan’s agriculture, livestock, food-processing and cold-chain sectors.
Mian Zahid Hussain said the target is enormous from an economic perspective because Pakistan’s total merchandise exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to approximately $692 million in 2025. Pakistan supplied the Kingdom with 169,000 tonnes of rice worth $163 million and 30,000 tonnes of halal meat valued at $167 million. Therefore, achieving the annual target of $3 billion will require Pakistan to increase its existing export capacity more than fourfold. He said Pakistan’s food exports declined by 29.49 percent to $5.017 billion in FY2025–26, while rice exports fell from $3.353 billion to $2.291 billion. In contrast, meat exports recorded a modest increase, rising from $495.1 million to approximately $530.2 million. Extended footprints in the Saudi market can, therefore, help arrest the decline in Pakistan’s food exports and provide access to new export opportunities.
Mian Zahid Hussain said Saudi Arabia imports approximately 70 percent of its food requirements, while its food-retail market is valued at more than $50 billion. Pakistan, however, faces strong competition from India, Brazil, Australia and Thailand. Friendship alone will not be sufficient; competitive prices, consistent supply, traceability, quality packaging, halal certification and compliance with Saudi food-safety regulations will play a decisive role in Pakistan’s success.
Mian Zahid Hussain proposed establishing a joint Pakistan–Saudi Agri-Food Export Task Force, setting product-specific targets and publishing monthly progress reports. He said approvals of Pakistani slaughterhouses, meat-processing units, fruit orchards and packaging houses should be expedited. He also stressed the need to invest in cold-storage facilities, refrigerated transport, temperature-controlled reefer containers and reliable maritime links with Jeddah and Dammam. He said Pakistan should export value-added branded products instead of raw commodities, including basmati rice, packaged halal meat, fruit pulp, juice concentrates, jams, jellies, marmalade, tomato ketchup, frozen foods and ready-to-eat products. Green fodder and other water-intensive products should be linked with modern irrigation systems so that export growth does not come at the expense of Pakistan’s food and water security.
Mian Zahid Hussain said the time has come to integrate the strategic confidence created under the leadership of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir with measurable economic outcomes. Effective implementation of the $3 billion target can substantially increase farmers’ livelihoods, employment, rural industry, exports and Pakistan’s foreign-exchange reserves.