May 10, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1424

ISLAMABAD, May 9: Finished goods exports during the period July- April 2002-03, stood at $8.02 billion, up 20.24 per cent ($1.35 billion).

Their contribution to total exports ($8.85 billion), according to the Advance Release on Foreign Trade Statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Friday, was estimated as 90.68per cent. However, it denotes a slight decline from previous year’s 91.06per cent. But then the total exports too recorded an increase of 20.83per cent over the corresponding period of previous year.

In the overall exports, the share of textile manufactures was 63.78per cent, as against 63.65 per cent during the comparable period of 2001-02. Their exports totalled $5.64 billion, up 21.09 per cent from previous year.

As fraction of manufactured goods exports, textile manufactures accounted for 70.32 per cent, denoting a slight increase of 0.45 per cent over the previous year.

Within the textile manufactures, the cumulative share of semi- processed items, i.e. cotton yarn and cotton cloth with exports worth $1.85 billion, stood at 32.80 per cent. Indicating improved performance of some of the finished textiles, it meant a drop of 3.16 per cent fall in their contribution to textile manufactures exports.

Taken separately, cotton yarn exports stood at $791.93 million, that is, 3.26 per cent more than previous year. The export of cotton cloth, at $1.05 billion, surged by 16.30 per cent. A look at their performance in terms of quantity, brings out substantial increase in their respective unit prices. Thus cotton-yarn and cloth exports went up 1.65 per cent and 6.73 per cent, respectively.

The improvement in unit value is a trend that applied to other textile manufactures as well. Thus exports of bedwear ($1.01 billion) increased, quantity-wise, by 25.72pc, against dollar value which went up by 37.18pc, those of towels ($279.25 million) increased by 19.93pc (quantity) as against 37.18pc rise in dollar value and tents, canvas, tarpaulin (53.12 million) went up by 20.92pc as against 24.57pc increase in value.

The exports of art silk & synthetic textiles amounted to $412.26 million, up 24.73pc from the corresponding period of previous year. Yet, the quantitative exports of this subcategory registered an increase of 13.66 per cent.

The only item in textile manufactures, which showed a reversal in terms of quantitative exports was the subcategory “readymade garments”. It declined by 13.78pc. But so far as accrual in foreign exchange was concerned, it increased by 24.73pc.

OTHER MANUFACTURES: Their exports ($1.67 billion) swelled by 10.46 per cent over the corresponding period of 2001-02. Nevertheless, this category’s share in total exports showed significant decline from 20.61 per cent of previous year to 18.84 per cent for the period under review. It may indicate stagnation in relation to the improvements of other categories of exports.

Major setback was 4.45 per cent drop in carpets sector. Their exports totalled $183.91 million as against $192.07 million during the comparable period of previous year. Second important reason was stagnation in exports of leather manufactures which dropped by 2.69per cent to $309.67 million during the period under review. Yet, this is the single largest export subcategory among Other Manufactures to which its contribution was 18.57pc.

Other major sub-categories in this category, however, posted substantial improvement. Thus the exports of sports goods ($254.52 million) swelled by 8.60pc, cutlery ($22.30 million) by 14.75pc, Chemical and Pharmaceutical products ($208.25 million) by 81.59pc, onyx manufactures ($9.75 million) by 20.26pc, and Engineering Goods ($53.96 million) by 39.68pc.

Other non-traditional exports included gems, jewellery and furniture. These too continued to rise. The exports of gems ($1.85 million) went up 106.12pc, jewellry ($17.46 million) by 5.84pc and furniture ($6.67 million) by 47.12pc.

PRIMARY COMMODITIES: Their exports (825.11 million) moved up by 26.05pc. Major development is, of course, the export of wheat (952,665 metric tons), nearly 114pc more than what was exported during the same period of previous year. Figures also indicate some rise in unit value as the accrual in dollars ($106.05 million) was up by 119.45pc.

Similar trend is witnessed in respect of rice. The quantity of rice exported during the 10-month period under review was approximately 14,88,000 ton— 5.86pc more than in the same period of previous year.