Pakistan imported food worth Rs378.98 billion in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2023-24, according to facts from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Pakistanis imported tea worth Rs31.64 billion in two months, compared to Rs20.23 billion in the same period last year, according to PBS statistics.
According to PBS data, Pakistan imported palm oil worth Rs158.7 billion and soyabean oil worth Rs13.56 billion in the last two months.
Furthermore, Pakistan imported pulses worth Rs48.25 billion in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2023-24.
Dryfruits worth over Rs2 billion were also imported during the last two months, the PBS said.
It should be noted that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) abolished all import restrictions in July to meet another International Monetary Fund (IMF) condition.
In order to meet another IMF demand, the central bank issued a circular removing all import restrictions.
The federal government authorised banks to provide remittances in order to release more than 6,000 containers. The SBP indicated in the circular that remittances would be issued for all imports following the implementation of the most recent directive.