KARACHI: Pakistan’s southeastern Sindh province has successfully completed a pilot oil palm cultivation and extraction project, putting the country on the list of palm oil producers. An oil extraction facility at the site of the pilot oil palm plantation in the province’s southern Thatta district produced its first oil last week.
How much palm oil does Pakistan import?
Imports In 2022, Pakistan imported $3.8B in Palm Oil, becoming the 3rd largest importer of Palm Oil in the world. At the same year, Palm Oil was the 4th most imported product in Pakistan. Pakistan imports Palm Oil primarily from: Indonesia ($3.21B), Malaysia ($585M), Singapore ($2.65M), United Arab Emirates ($1.42M), and Thailand ($785k).
Is palm oil a burden for Pakistan?
Thus, palm oil can be a burden for Pakistan if imported without intervention on an international level and can be a breather if the crude palm is imported and utilized effectively to meet the edible oil requirements until Pakistan becomes self-sufficient in oilseed production and solvent extraction.
Why does Pakistan import palm oil & soybeans?
Pakistan’s major imports of palm oil and soybean are a result of increasing per capita consumption of edible oil currently standing at 24 kg (Rehman, 2020). The agriculture sector struggles to cater to the domestic demand for edible oil and is highly dependent on the imports of oilseeds and refined palm oil.