ISLAMABAD: The country’s textile group exports increased by 10.51 percent in first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year 2024-25 and remained at $7.607 billion as compared to $6.883 billion during the same period of last fiscal year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said.

The data of exports and imports released by PBS revealed that the country’s overall exports during July-November 2024 (fiscal year 2024-25) totalled $13.721 billion (provisional) against $12.162 billion during the corresponding period of last year showing an increase of 12.82 per cent. The exports in November 2024 totalled $2.833 billion (provisional) as compared to $2.982 billion in October 2024 showing a decrease of five per cent over October 2024 and of 10.10 per cent as compared to $2.573 billion in November 2023.

The data showed that textile group exports increased by 10.81 per cent in November 2024 and remained at $1.461 billion as compared to $1.318 billion in November 2023 and decreased by 10.14 per cent on month-on-month (MoM) when compared to $1.625 billion in October 2024.

Pakistani rice exports in July-November 2024 registered 35.4 per cent growth and stood at $1.515 billion when compared to $1.119 billion during the same period of last fiscal year.

Main commodities of exports during November 2024 were knitwear (Rs114,997 million), rice others (Rs104,754 million), readymade garments (Rs91,306 million), bed wear (Rs70,653 million), cotton cloth (Rs37,899 million), sugar (Rs24,578 million), towels (Rs23,694 million), cotton yarn (Rs22,393 million), madeuparticles (excl towels andbedwear) (Rs17,543 million) and basmati rice (Rs15,085 million).

The imports during July – November, 2024 (FY2024-25) totaled $ 22,467 million(provisional) as against $21,503 million during the corresponding period of last year showing an increase of 4.48 percent.

The imports in November, 2024 totaled $4,518 million (provisional) as compared to$4,568 million in October 2024 showing a decrease of 1.09 per cent over October 2024 and of 0.15 per cent as compared to $ 4,525 million in November 2023.

Main commodities of imports during November 2024 were petroleum products (Rs175,763 million), petroleum crude (Rs118,744 million), natural gas liquefied (LNG) (Rs65,864 million), palm oil (Rs65,449 million), plastic materials (Rs59,114 million), iron and steel (Rs45,237 million), mobile phones (Rs41,498 million), electrical machinery and apparatus (Rs41,442 million), raw cotton (Rs31,360 million) and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) (Rs30,582 million).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024