Pakistan earned $21.68 million from exports of fresh onions, shallots and dried onions during FY2025-26, shipping nearly 109,758 tonnes to international markets, with Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka emerging as the leading buyers of fresh produce, while Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United States drove demand for dried onions, according to official trade figures available with Wealth Pakistan on Tuesday.
Pakistan earns $21.68m from onion exports in FY26
ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): Pakistan earned $21.68 million from exports of fresh onions, shallots and dried onions during FY2025-26, shipping nearly 109,758 tonnes to international markets, with Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka emerging as the leading buyers of fresh produce, while Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United States drove demand for dried onions, according to official trade figures available with Wealth Pakistan on Tuesday.
Fresh onions and shallots dominated the export basket, generating $19.79 million from 108,680 tonnes and accounting for 91.3% of total earnings from the two categories.
The figures underline Pakistan’s reliance on bulk fresh produce exports, particularly to Asian and Gulf markets.
Malaysia was the largest buyer of Pakistani fresh onions and shallots, importing consignments worth $7.27 million.
The UAE followed with $4.99 million, while Sri Lanka purchased $3.67 million. Combined, the three markets generated $15.93 million, accounting for 80.5pc of fresh onion and shallot export earnings.
Other major destinations included Oman, which imported $1.56 million worth of fresh produce, Singapore at $839,876 and Qatar at $825,249.
The six leading markets together accounted for 96.8pc of the category’s export value, highlighting the concentration of Pakistan’s fresh onion trade in a handful of destinations.
Dried onions, meanwhile, generated $1.90 million from approximately 1,077 tonnes of exports. Despite their relatively small share of overall shipments, dried onions fetched an average unit value of around $1.76 per kilogram, significantly higher than the approximately $0.18 per kilogram earned from fresh onions and shallots.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the largest market for dried onions, purchasing $812,428 worth of shipments, equivalent to 42.8pc of the category’s export earnings. Australia followed with $270,001, while the United States imported $251,021. Together, the three destinations accounted for 70.3pc of dried onion export revenue.
The dried onion trade also reached markets beyond Pakistan’s traditional fresh produce destinations.
The United Kingdom purchased $163,968 worth of dried onions, followed by the UAE at $126,951, Canada at $73,304 and France at $60,791.
The contrast between fresh and dried onion markets was particularly pronounced in Australia and the United States.
Pakistan earned $270,001 from dried onion exports to Australia, compared with just $37,729 from fresh onions and shallots.
Similarly, dried onion exports to the United States generated $251,021, against $56,856 from the fresh category.
The figures point to two distinct export channels: fresh onions and shallots continue to generate the bulk of foreign exchange through high-volume shipments to Asian and Gulf markets, while dried onions command substantially higher average unit values and reach a more diversified range of destinations.
The growing contribution of dried onion exports also highlights the potential importance of value-added agricultural products in diversifying Pakistan’s export earnings beyond traditional fresh produce shipments.
