Pakistan’s third international food and agriculture exhibition was successfully held at the Expo Centre Karachi from November 25 to 27. In the first two days, over 5,000 B2B meetings were held, resulting in 641 million USD in business deals across key sectors such as rice, processed food, seafood, confectionery, meat, cereals, and oilseeds. This was disclosed by TDAP’s CEO, Mr. Faiz Ahmad, at today’s press conference.
Top officials of TDAP said over 370 exhibitors from more than 20 sub-sectors of Pakistan, including agri-tech, beverages, bakery and confectionery, cereals, dairy, dried fruits, flower cultivation, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, honey, corn, meat, oil and ghee/oilseeds, poultry products, processed foods, rice, salt, seafood, sesame, spices, and tobacco participated in FoodAg 2025. The arrival of over 850 international buyers from more than 80 countries has elevated this year’s global interest to new heights.
A notable aspect of FoodAg 2025 was the exceptional capabilities and strong purchasing power of these 850 international buyers from over 80 countries. Some of the world’s largest and most influential food importers, including China’s state-run organizations Jiangsu Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs (JCOF) and Shanxi Zhong Wang Food Group, participated in this year’s exhibition. Similarly, Malaysia’s sole government rice importer, Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas), Indonesia’s prominent fruit importer, PT Laris Manis Oetama, and Europe’s largest basmati buyer, Surya Foods UK, were also included.
The UK’s largest halal distributor, Avanti Foods, and Belgium’s historic rice brokerage company, Skipens and Company (founded in 1912), also made significant contributions. Turkey’s major retail network, Migros (with 3,725 stores), Qatar’s prominent institutional buyer, Sundar Trading, a major importer of Pakistani rice in Australia, Taj Food Sales, Canada’s wholesale powerhouse A1 Cash and Carry, and Sri Lanka’s dairy and retail leader, Cargills Ceylon, were also part of this exhibition. Furthermore, Mercury Med DMCC, a company supplying large volumes of rice to Carrefour and Lulu in the UAE, also participated significantly.
The presence of these large international buyers, many of whom established multi-million dollar trade agreements and memoranda of understanding during the exhibition, is clear evidence of the growing global confidence in the quality of Pakistani agricultural and food products, reliable delivery, and international competitiveness. Hospitality and logistics arrangements were highly effective, with 1,031 confirmed delegates registered by November 26 and 837 travel schedules received, monitored cohesively by our trade missions worldwide. This notable participation further highlights Pakistan’s strengthening position as a reliable hub for high-quality, sustainable agricultural and food products.
Excellent Business Opportunities
In the first two days, over 5,000 B2B meetings were held, resulting in 641 million USD in business deals across key sectors such as rice, processed food, seafood, confectionery, meat, cereals, and oilseeds. On the very first day, 2,148 business meetings took place, reflecting an expected business value of USD 186.58 million. In contrast, the second day recorded 2,860 sessions, with an anticipated business value of 454.55 million USD, underscoring the event’s continued momentum and growing significance.
So far, 21 key memoranda of understanding and export contracts have been signed, targeting markets in Saudi Arabia, the UK, China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, and South Korea for sesame, rice, meat, bakery products, salt, corn, and other agricultural commodities. Overall, 21 memoranda of understanding and export contracts were signed, including sesame, rice, meat, bakery items, salt, corn, and other agricultural products destined for significant markets such as Saudi Arabia, the UK, China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, and South Korea. FoodAg 2025 has established major export channels with China, confirming contracts worth over 33.9 million USD.
A notable example is the historic agreement of 9.7 million USD for sesame between Beijing Super Agro Technology Company Limited and a Pakistani exporter. Significant progress has also been made in the value-added meat sector, where Shanxi Yanfang Food Company Limited signed a 10 million USD contract for boiled meat. Additionally, major import companies from China, like Shandong Runze Cold Chain Logistics Company Limited and Fuzhou Youfeng Chuan Trading Company Limited, have secured million-dollar deals for Pakistani aquatic products, reflecting China’s diverse and growing demand.
A major success is the signing of a memorandum of understanding to export heat-treated meat to China, opening the door to one of the world’s largest markets. Similarly, companies from Pakistan and China have also signed significant agreements in the seafood sector, further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
According to preliminary data, rice demand has exceeded expectations, with projected business exceeding 222 million USD, followed by agri-tech at 104 million USD and biscuits and confectionery at 61 million USD. Noteworthy interest has also been observed in fruits/vegetables, meat, and beverages. These figures indicate that FoodAg 2025 will far surpass previous events in trade and foreign exchange. During side events, significant discussions and agreements have taken place with countries including Qatar, China, Italy, Sri Lanka, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and others.
