Over 1.393 million tons of rice valuing $749.407 million exported during the first five months of the current financial year as compared to the exports of 1.585 million tons worth $826.505 million in the corresponding period of last year. During the period from July-November, about 214,618 metric tons of Basmati rice valuing $229.297 million also exported as against the exports of 296,674 metric ton worth $524.935 million of same period last year. In the last 05 months, the exports of above mentioned commodity witnessed about 145 percent growth in dollar term as compared to the exports of same period last year, according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. During the period under review, 1.178 million metric tons of rice other then Basmati worth of $520.111 million also exported as compared the exports of 1.290 million metric tons valuing $571.537 million of same period last year, hence showing about 75 percent growth during the period under review. On month basis, the exports of rice from the country in November of current fiscal year decreased by 12.40 percent as 418,207 metric tons of rice valuing $203.146 million exported as against the exports of 493,844 metric tons valuing $231.908 million of same month of last year. It may be recalled here that local rice production was estimated at 5.53 million tons during last season as the crop was cultivated over 2.99 million hectares. The output of rice was decrease of 2.4 percent as against the set targets, which was attributed adverse affect of flash floods and torrential rains during moonsoon season. The overall food group exports from the country during the first five months of the current financial year witnessed about a 1.03 percent decrease, whereas imports increased by 1.63 percent as compared to the exports and imports of the corresponding period of last year. During July-November, this year, exports of different food commodities was $1.927 billion as compared to $1.947 billion in the same period of last year, whereas food commodities valuing $4.080 billion were imported as against the imports of $4.015 billion of the same period, last year.