Pakistan Seed Import Statistics 2026 — Volume, Value, and Top Sourcing Countries

Pakistan imports approximately 70,000 metric tons of seed annually across all crop types, placing it among the largest seed importers in South Asia. This volume breaks down into roughly 13,000-14,000 tons of hybrid maize seed, 14,000-15,000 tons of seed potato, and the balance spread across vegetable seed, oilseed seed, forage seed, and other crop seeds — all regulated through the three-body framework of DPP, PARC, and FSC&RD covered in our regulations overview.

This post consolidates the trade numbers: total import volume, the value and sourcing-country breakdown for each major crop category, and the demand-side trends that are driving the numbers up year on year. For importers building a market case or a sourcing plan, this is the data layer underneath the country-by-crop sourcing guide.

Total seed import volume: the 70,000-ton baseline

Pakistan's seed import trade runs at an estimated 70,000 metric tons per year, based on FSC&RD reporting, PBS trade data by HS code, and shipment-level intelligence from Volza. This figure covers seed for planting (HS headings 1209, 1005.10, 0701.10, 1201.10, 1206.00) and excludes GM soybean and canola grain imported for crushing, which runs at a much larger tonnage (1.97 million tons in 2024/25) but is a separate category — not seed, not for planting, and handled under GM import licenses.

The 70,000-ton figure is not a single PBS data point — it is a composite from multiple sources because Pakistan's trade statistics classify seed under different HS subheadings by species, and no single agency publishes a consolidated "total seed" figure. The breakdown below pulls together the best available data for each crop category.

Seed import breakdown by crop category

The vegetable seed and forage seed tonnage estimates are derived from shipment counts and average shipment sizes reported by Volza, cross-referenced against PBS subheading-level trade data. These figures should be treated as indicative — for a specific variety or HS code, verify the latest PBS release or trade-platform pull.

Maize seed imports: USA and Thailand by value

Hybrid maize seed is Pakistan's largest seed import category by value. World Bank WITS/Comtrade data for 2023 records the United States supplying approximately USD 38.02 million (13,731,000 kg) and Thailand approximately USD 32.87 million (10,089,100 kg) of maize seed (HS 1005.10) to Pakistan. Together these two origins account for over 95% of Pakistan's maize seed import value. Small residual volumes arrived from Italy (USD 153,060), Brazil (USD 149,520), and Australia (USD 14,280) in the same year.

The country concentration reflects the structure of the global hybrid maize breeding industry: US-origin seed comes from Pioneer (Corteva) and Bayer (Dekalb) parent-line multiplication sites in North America, while Thailand-origin seed comes from their Asian multiplication operations. These are not competing independent suppliers — they are the same multinational breeders shipping from two multiplication locations to serve the same Pakistani distribution networks of Bayer, Syngenta, and Pioneer.

The volume, at 13,000-14,000 tons, has grown with hybrid adoption in Punjab and KP, where farmers have shifted from open-pollinated varieties to hybrids over the past decade. Maize area under cultivation has expanded alongside the seed import trend, driven by poultry-feed demand for corn.

Seed potato imports: the Netherlands' 95% share

Pakistan imports 14,000-15,000 metric tons of seed potato annually, and the Netherlands supplies approximately 95% of that volume. The trade is so concentrated that "Dutch seed potato" and "imported seed potato" are essentially synonymous in the Pakistani market.

The dependency is structural: Pakistan produces only about 2% of its seed potato requirement domestically, according to FSC&RD and industry estimates. Punjab's autumn potato crop — the main commercial potato season — relies on imported Dutch seed for certified, disease-free planting material. Domestic multiplication of seed potato has been discussed as a policy goal for years but has not scaled sufficiently to displace imports.

Dutch seed potato enters under HS 0701.10, and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) issues the phytosanitary certificates. The trade lane is mature and well-documented, covered in detail in our seed potato import guide. The value of Dutch seed potato imports exceeded USD 1 million in 2023 based on bilateral trade data, though the exact figure depends on whether the data counts re-exports through third-country ports.

Vegetable seed imports: China, Thailand, and India by shipment count

Vegetable seed is the most fragmented import category by both crop type and source country. Shipment-level data from Volza for the year to May 2025 records 512 vegetable seed shipments into Pakistan, with the following country split:

Tomato seed is the standout sub-category: 166 shipments in the year to May 2025, up 16% year-on-year, driven by expansion of protected-culture farming — tunnels and greenhouses — in Punjab and Sindh. India's 45% share of tomato seed imports reflects proximity (1-2 weeks by air) and established Indian hybrid tomato breeding programmes that produce varieties suited to Pakistani growing conditions.

The aggregate vegetable seed volume is harder to pin down than maize or potato because shipments are smaller, more frequent, and move by air as often as by sea. The estimated 3,500-4,500 tons is based on shipment counts, average shipment sizes, and PBS HS 1209.91 subheading data. For a specific vegetable crop, see our hybrid vegetable seed import guide and the country-by-crop sourcing matrix.

Sunflower and forage seed: concentrated single-country lanes

Sunflower seed imports are dominated by Turkey, which supplies the bulk of hybrid sunflower planting seed entering Pakistan under HS 1206.00. Turkey's position as a sunflower breeder — with strong domestic breeding programmes and a climate suited to sunflower multiplication — makes it the natural source for Pakistani oilseed importers. The trade lane is covered in our sunflower seed import post.

Forage seed — primarily Rhodes grass — comes mainly from Australia under HS 1209.29. This is a mature, stable trade lane built on Pakistan's hay export industry: Rhodes grass grown from Australian seed produces hay that is baled and exported to the Gulf. The Rhodes grass import guide covers the clearance path for this crop. Volume estimates for forage seed are in the 2,000-3,000 ton range, though the exact figure varies with hay export demand and seasonal planting decisions.

What is NOT included: soybean and canola grain imports

It is important to distinguish seed-for-planting imports from grain-for-crushing imports. Pakistan imports approximately 1.97 million metric tons of soybeans in 2024/25, with a forecast of 2.4 million tons in 2025/26, according to USDA FAS reporting. These are grain imports — not seed, not for planting — handled under GM import licenses issued by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, not the DPP seed-import-permit system.

Canola grain imports for crushing follow the same pattern. The commercial import of GM soybean and canola grain runs through designated crushing facilities and is subject to a separate regulatory channel, covered in our GM soybean and canola import rules post. Mixing grain-import tonnage with seed-import tonnage inflates the "seed" figure by an order of magnitude and produces a misleading picture of the planting-seed market — the 70,000-ton figure in this post deliberately excludes grain imports.

Import trends: why seed imports are growing

Pakistan's seed import volume has trended upward since 2020, driven by three structural demand-side shifts:

1. Hybrid adoption. Maize, rice, and vegetable growers continue shifting from open-pollinated varieties to hybrids, which are predominantly imported. In maize, the area under hybrids has expanded steadily in Punjab and KP; in rice, hybrid adoption in Sindh is creating a new import category. In vegetables, protected-culture farming (tunnels, greenhouses) demands high-performing hybrid varieties that Pakistani breeders do not yet produce at commercial scale.

2. Oilseed expansion. Pakistan's edible-oil import bill — USD 4.5 billion in FY2024, according to PBS — has driven policy interest in expanding domestic oilseed production. Sunflower, canola, and soybean cultivation are all targeted for expansion, and each hectare of oilseed planted creates demand for imported seed. The sunflower and canola seed trade, while smaller than maize or potato, is growing as a share of the total seed import basket.

3. Seed potato deficit. The structural deficit in seed potato — domestic production meets approximately 2% of national requirement — means imports are locked in for the foreseeable future. Unless domestic seed-potato multiplication scales by an order of magnitude, the 14,000-15,000-ton import figure will hold or rise with potato acreage expansion.

Vegetable seed imports are the fastest-growing segment by shipment count, particularly tomato (up 16%), onion, and chili, reflecting both protected-culture expansion and the gradual commercialisation of vegetable farming. The aggregate tonnage of vegetable seed imports is smaller than maize or potato, but the value per kilogram is higher and the trend line is upward.

How to use this data

For a seed importer or a company evaluating market entry, these statistics serve two purposes. First, they size the market — a 70,000-ton annual import volume across all crop types, with maize and potato each in the 13,000-15,000-ton range and vegetable seed growing at a double-digit shipment rate. Second, they map the sourcing geography — USA and Thailand for maize, Netherlands for potato, China and Thailand for vegetables, Turkey for sunflower, Australia for forage — so you know where to start a supplier search.

The data is drawn from PBS, World Bank WITS/Comtrade, Volza, FSC&RD reports, and USDA FAS. For the regulatory path behind these trade flows — DPP permits, PARC variety approval, and FSC&RD enlistment — the linked posts cover each step.

Olympic Agencies has cleared agricultural seed at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982 — hybrid maize, hybrid vegetables, seed potato, sunflower seed, and forage seed. Our seed import clearance service maps the full regulatory path: PARC variety verification, FSC&RD enlistment confirmation, DPP Form-I permit application, quarantine inspection, and post-clearance documentation. WhatsApp us your crop and intended sourcing country — we will provide trade data, sourcing-country options, and regulatory mapping before you commit a single seed lot.

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