U.S. Soybean Exports Climb with Pakistan Ban Removal

U.S. soybean exports to Pakistan have resumed after Pakistan removed a 2-year functional ban. On February 18, 2025, Pakistan received its first U.S. soybean shipment of 65,000 tons, and U.S. exporters will soon ship approximately 200,000 more tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service Export Sales Reporting Program. 

In October 2022, the import license requirement for genetically engineered (GE) crops implemented by the Pakistan Department of Plant Protection (DPP) led to U.S. soybean imports ceasing. Since 2021/22, U.S. soybean exports to Pakistan dropped from $373 million to $0 in 2023/24. The DPP implemented new guidance in October 2024 and authorized applications for import licenses for GE soybeans. Reopening this important soybean market will benefit both U.S. soybean producers and Pakistan’s food and feed industry, which relies on imported feedstuffs to meet consumer demand. Regained market access may result in a rebound in sales for the upcoming 2025/26 U.S. soybean crop. U.S. soybean exports to Pakistan averaged 950,000 tons ($380 million) between 2019 and 2021.