Rice, Pasta and Noodles in Pakistan

PROSPECTS

Rice dominates

A traditional staple in the Pakistani diet, rice dominates sales of packaged rice, pasta and noodles in the market. Nonetheless, sales of unpackaged rice, which is widely available, remain significantly higher than those of packaged products.

Strong performance expected in dried pasta

Not components of the traditional Pakistani diet, pasta and noodles are not subject to competition from widely available unpackaged alternatives. As a result, packaged products are the primary beneficiaries of the internationalisation of consumer tastes resulting from factors such as increased internet access, TV shows and international travel, as well as the erosion of traditional patterns of consumption underpinned by urbanisation.

Noodles targets sizeable consumer group

Noodles primarily targets children, particularly those in their early teens, with flavours such as chicken, chatpata and lemon, as well as more recently introduced alternatives such as chin chow, jalapeno and sizzler. The size and strong growth of the category’s target consumer group offers considerable potential for further development, while the taste for novelty amongst its core consumers also provides significant opportunities for the introduction of new flavours.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Significant consolidation

Rice, pasta and noodles underwent a process of significant consolidation over the review period, with the combined value share of the top 10 players increasing by more than 40 percentage points. This resulted primarily from the expansion of the leading players in packaged rice, particularly, but not exclusively, Engro Eximp Agriproducts’ rise from second to a dominant position in the category.

Multinationals dominate noodles

The major multinationals, Unilever and Nestlé, dominate sales of noodles through their internationally recognised Knorr and Maggi brands. Domestic company, Shan Foods’ Shoop is the only other brand to register a significant share of category value in 2018.

Competition intensifying in pasta

KS Sulemanji Esmailji & Sons retained the lead in pasta through its Kolson brand in 2018. In contrast to rice and noodles, pasta saw the leaders increasingly threatened by smaller players, as the significant potential of the category attracted growing attention.

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