Islamabad: Food imports into the country during the month of July 2012 registered negative growth of 5.48 percent as compared with the same month of last year.

Food commodities costing US$ 433.94 million were imported in the country during last month of financial year 12 as against the import of US$ 459 million during same period last year.

According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the commodities which registered posted negative growth in their import included tea, spices, sugar and leguminous vegetable.

During the month of July 2012 the tea import decreased by 26.29 percent, spices by 0.26 percent, sugar by 68.46 percent as compared with import of same month of last year, it added.

Tea import came down from US$ 26.44 million in July 2011 and it was recorded at US$ 19.48 million during the month of July 2012, while sugar import dropped from US$ 2.45 million to US$ 0.773 million in the period under review.

The import of other commodities like wheat unmilled was recorded at 0 percent, while import of palm oil went down by 20.80 percent in the month of July 2012 as compared with the same month of last year.

The commodities which registered positive trend in their imports including milk, cream and milk food for infants by 8.84 percent, dry fruit by 10.46 percent and soybean oil.

The country spent US$ 15.24 million on the import of milk, cream and milk for infant food in the month of July 2012 as compared to the import of US$ 14 million during same month of last year for fulfilling the domestic requirements.

Meanwhile, dry fruit of different varieties costing 9.314 million was imported as compared with its last year’s import of US$ 8 million for domestic consumption.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012