Pakistan

In 2020, Pakistan’s economy’s growth further weakened, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by the country’s prevalent financial problems. The pandemic subdued domestic demand and hurt supply, increased public borrowing, and fuelled growth...

Pakistan’s business environment remains highly challenging, with little progress achieved over the last few years. The country is plagued by a weak education system, corruption, ineffective governance, and frequent acts of terrorism, which when ...

Natural increase will be the sole driver of swift population growth in Pakistan in 2020-2040, as net migration remains negative. Ageing will be quite slow over this timeframe, with the country remaining extremely young in a regional context due to ...

Tea maintained strong current value and retail volume growth in 2020, benefiting from inelastic consumption. Tea is more than a hot drink in Pakistan. Consumers are rigid about the type, colour, texture and taste of their tea and tea has a strong ...

Retail volume sales of hot drinks in Pakistan remained largely unaffected by COVID-19 in 2020, with good growth continuing in the year. Consumed in the winter months primarily, coffee and other hot drinks were cushioned from the lockdown impact of ...

Foodservice volume sales of coffee plummeted in 2020. This was due to the closure of many foodservice outlets during lockdown and also the closure of institutions such as schools and colleges. Even after lockdown measures eased, there was limited ...

Retail volume growth for other hot drinks slowed slightly in comparison to the review period CAGR in 2020. This occurred due to economic uncertainty. Many consumers cut back their purchases of non-essential products amid the economic uncertainty ...

Many areas of packaged food benefited from stockpiling in early-2020 in response to concerns over potential product shortages due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many consumers also stocked up as they sought to minimise shopping trips ...

Processed meat and seafood will see stronger retail volume growth in 2020 in comparison to the review period CAGR. Demand for these products surged in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among higher-income households in urban ...

Baked goods will see consumption shift from restaurants and other on-trade outlets in 2020, due to foodservice outlets being closed during the COVID-19 lockdown. As a result, on-trade volume sales are expected to decline in the year. However, retail ...

Stockpiling and panic buying led to a surge in demand in early-2020 amid the global pandemic. This particularly benefited noodles and dried pasta, which are growing from a low sales base and will see stronger retail volume growth in 2020 in ...

Processed fruits and vegetables generally sees stronger demand via foodservice than retail channels, with the convenience of these products greatly appreciated by restaurants, cafés and fast food outlets keen to cut preparation times and ensure ...

Breakfast cereals, while continuing to strong good retail volume growth from a low base, will see retail volume growth slow in 2020 due to a shift back towards more traditional Pakistani breakfasts. With families spending more time at home, many ...

Pakistan’s real GDP growth will improve in 2021. The improved outlook for 2021 is due to an expected recovery of external demand as global demand as trading partners recover from the pandemic, combined with the return of domestic demand. The economy ...

Honey is traditionally believed to cure cold and flu symptoms in Pakistan. Consequently, honey will see strong demand in 2020 as many consumers added it to their daily diets amid fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also stockpiling of ...

Soup will continue to see strong sales growth in 2020 from a low base. Demand for packaged soup remains low but will be remained largely unaffected by COVID-19, as the peak pandemic months fell in the hot summer months. During these months, the ...

Foodservice closures as a result of lockdown measures will have a heavy impact on foodservice volume sales of edible oils in 2020, with decline being expected as a result. While the reopening of foodservice outlets will bolster sales in the second ...

The impact of COVID-19 is expected to be minimal for ready meals. On the one hand, many were unable to access consumer foodservice as a result of lockdowns, while others opted to avoid consumer foodservice outlets due to concerns over catching the ...

Sauces, dressings and condiments will see foodservice volume sales eroded in 2020 by the temporary closure of consumer foodservice outlets as a result of COVID-19 lockdown measures. Lockdown measures also impacted catering services and demand for ...

Sales of soft drinks were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in both off-trade and on-trade volume terms. On-trade volume saw a sharp double-digit decline in 2020, due to the closure of foodservice outlets, college and university canteens ...