Pakistan’s textile exports rebound with 13% surge in August

Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports saw a strong recovery in August, posting a nearly 13% year-on-year increase, according to the latest data released from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). 

Textile and clothing exports rose to $1.64 billion in August, up from $1.45 billion in the same month last year. On a month-on-month basis, exports surged by an impressive 29.4%. 

Exports reached $2.92 billion during the first two months of the current fiscal year (July-August), a 5.4% increase from the same period last year.

In July, textile exports had contracted by 3.1%, raising alarms about the sector’s future, particularly amid stiff regional competition and taxation changes for the fiscal year 2024-25. June had also shown a year-on-year decline of 0.93%, though May had seen a notable recovery.

Key categories showed strong performance in August: readymade garments exports increased by 27.8% in value and 7.9% in quantity, while knitwear grew by 15.4% in value and 8.1% in quantity. 

Bedwear exports rose by 15.2% in value, and towels saw a 15.7% increase in value alongside a 9.7% rise in quantity. Cotton cloth exports also grew by 14.1% in value.

However, yarn exports declined sharply by 47.7% compared to August last year.

On the import side, synthetic fibre imports dropped by 8.3%, while synthetic and artificial silk yarn imports fell by 13.6%. Raw cotton imports increased by 7.6%, and second-hand clothes imports grew by 22% in August.

Overall, Pakistan’s exports across all sectors rose by 16.8% in August, reaching $2.76 billion, up from $2.36 billion in the same period last year.