Pakistan’s textile exports saw a significant rise of 15.85% year-over-year in January 2025, reaching $1.686 billion, according to the latest data. Over the first seven months of FY2024-25, total exports increased by 10.6%, amounting to $10.77 billion. The surge was primarily driven by finished goods, while raw material exports saw a decline.
Key textile export categories:
- Knitwear exports surged by 29.3% to $468.3 million.
- Readymade garments rose 19.1% to $397 million.
- Bedwear grew 14.5% to $288.7 million.
- Cotton cloth increased by 3.35% to $165 million.
- Towels saw a 6.1% increase to $101.97 million.
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However, cotton yarn exports dropped by 19.9% to $65 million, and raw cotton exports fell to zero.
In the food sector, exports saw a downturn:
- Food exports fell by 16.9% to $653.6 million in January, with a notable drop in rice exports, which were down by 33.2% to $319 million, largely due to India’s market reopening.
- Basmati rice decreased by 13% to $77.8 million.
- Other rice varieties dropped by 37.8% to $241 million.
- Vegetable exports saw a sharp decline of 53.2% to $34.1 million, while sugar exports saw an increase to $64.3 million, compared to zero last year.
On the import side, petroleum imports grew by 3.45% to $1.37 billion, with increases in crude oil (18.8%), petroleum products (21.1%), and LPG (21.2%). However, LNG imports declined by 29.6%.
Machinery imports also saw an uptick, climbing 18.4% to $887.7 million, with notable increases in:
- Textile machinery (100.7% increase to $22.2 million),
- Power generation machinery (67.8% increase to $59.3 million),
- Agricultural machinery (29.2% increase to $15.5 million).
Transport imports surged by 58% to $214 million, with a massive 159.4% rise in CKD/SKD imports for heavy vehicles (to $128.2 million), including a significant 360.3% jump in buses and trucks to $43.34 million.
Lastly, vehicle imports under CKD/SKD saw a dramatic increase of 118.7% to $79 million, while CBU imports fell by 15.9% to $27 million.
