Trade Competitiveness of Pakistan's Fruits and Vegetables in World Market

Abstract

Fruit and vegetable crops are a priority in agriculture by virtue of their vast potential in improving the socio-economic conditions of the country. To investigate the international competitiveness by analyzing the comparative and competitive advantage of vegetables and fruits from Pakistan, Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), Relative Export Advantage (RXA), Relative Import Advantage( RMA), Relative Trade Advantage (RTA) and Laffey Index used as analytical tools. For this purpose, time-series data set from the International Trade Center from 2011-2019. Findings revealed that Pakistan maintained a comparative advantage and competitiveness in imports of fruits while disadvantaging vegetables. Even though Pakistan has export competitiveness over its rivals but is still importing a huge amount of fruits and vegetables. To gain better competitiveness in exports of horticultural products and to reduce imports, it is important to rethink the trade policies of Pakistan and invest in the research and development sector.