Pakistan's exports in March 2019 were recorded at $1.98 billion against $1.89 billion in February 2019, showing an increase of 4.76 percent but witnessed a decline of 11.13 percent as compared with exports worth $2.23 billion in March 2018. According to the provisional figures compiled by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), in terms of Pakistani currency, exports during March 2019 amounted to Rs 275.34 billion against Rs 261.67 billion in February 2019 and Rs 249.56 billion during March 2018, showing an increase of 5.24% over February 2019 and 10.35% over March 2018.
According to provisional figures, the exports during July-March 2018-19 totalled $17.083 billion against $ 17.064 billion during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 0.11 percent. The PBS data said that exports during July-March 2018-19 totalled at Rs 2,265.4 billion against Rs 1,838.87 billion during the corresponding period of last fiscal year, showing an increase of 23.19% in terms of Pakistani currency.
Following were the major items of exports in March 2019: knitwear, Rs 29.96 billion; readymade garments, Rs 29.91 billion; bed-wear, Rs 26.34 billion; cotton cloth, Rs 25.8 billion; rice others, Rs 23.76 billion; cotton yarn, Rs 12.8 billion; towels, Rs 9.92 billion; rice Basmati, Rs 8.18 billion; madeup articles (excl towels & bed wear), Rs 8.12 billion; and fish & fish preparations, Rs 6.387 billion.
In March 2019, the country's imports recorded at $ 4.155 billion as compared to $ 4.180 billion in February 2019, showing a decrease of 0.60 percent and by a reduction of 20.88 percent as compared to $ 5.252 billion imports in March 2018. In terms of Pakistani rupee, in March Pakistan's imports amounted to Rs 578.27 billion against Rs 579.03 billion in February 2019 and Rs 588.6 billion in March 2018, showing a reduction of 0.13 percent over February 2019 and a reduction of 1.75 percent over March 2018.
During July-March 2018-19, the country's imports witnessed a reduction of 7.96 percent as the imports recorded at $ 40.755 billion against $ 44.281 billion during the corresponding period of last year. In terms of Pakistani rupee, imports during July-March 2018-19 totalled at Rs 5,381.6 billion against Rs 4,769 billion during the corresponding period of last year showing an increase of 12.85 percent.
Following are the major imported commodities during March 2019: petroleum products, Rs 57.3 billion; petroleum crude, Rs 47.67 billion; natural liquefied gas, Rs 30.05 billion; plastic materials, Rs 26.06 billion; iron & steel, Rs 24.8 billion; electrical machinery & apparatus, Rs 21.4 billion; palm oil, Rs 20.97 billion; raw cotton, Rs 18.4 billion; power generating machinery, Rs 15.23 billion; and iron & steel scrap, Rs 15.2 billion.
Trade balance during the period witnessed a decline of 28.07 percent in US dollar term while 10.66 percent in terms of Pakistan rupee as it was $ 3.025 billion in March 2018 which reduced to $2.17 billion in March 2019.
The PBS said that during the period average rupee value against US dollar depreciated by 24.2 percent from (1$=Rs 112.068851) in March 2018 to (1$=Rs 139.166346) March 2019.
The PBS has calculated the exports, imports and balance of trade on following exchange rates: rupee value converted into US dollar on average monthly exchange rate provided by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP): March 2019 (1$=Rs 139.166346), February 2019 (1$=Rs 138.530726) and March 2018 (1$=Rs 112.068851).
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