ISLAMABAD: Surgical goods and medical instruments worth $348.579 million were exported during 11 months of the last financial year ended on June 30, 2018, as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
Exports registered a 13.28 per cent growth during the period under review as surgical goods and medical instruments exports were recorded at $307.723 million during 11 months of the fiscal year 2016-17, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.
Meanwhile, the country also earned $957.940 million by exporting other chemicals and pharmaceutical products, which stood at $784.800 million in the corresponding period last year, said PBS in its data.
During the period from July-May, 2017-18, exports of other chemicals also grew by 31.77 per cent and were recorded at $505.83 million as against exports of $383.882 million of during the same period last year, it added.
Fertilizer exports also witnessed tremendous growth of 632.74 per cent as during the period from July-May, 2017-18, about 234,145 metric tonnes of fertilizers manufactured worth $51.321 million were exported as compared the exports of 30,124 metric tonnes valuing $7.004 million during the same period last year.
According to the data, Pakistan earned $82.582 million by exporting cutlery products as compared to the exports of $75.280 million as compared to last year, which was up by 9.70 per cent, it added.
However, the exports of pharmaceutical products decreased by 8.26 per cent as it came down from $195.980 million in 11 months of fiscal year 20116-17 to $179.785 million during the same period of the year ended on June 30.
About 9,102 metric tonnes of pharmaceutical products were exported in last 11 months of 2017-18 as compared the exports of 10,356 metric tonnes during the same period last year, the data revealed.
The main problem is that a good quantity of raw/unpolished surgical items are exported/smuggled to India. Indians export the same items in finished condition with Indian brand name.