ISLAMABAD, May 12: Import of machinery, particularly the textile machinery, registered 54.90 per cent growth during the first nine months (July-March) period of the current fiscal year. Official figures released by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) on Thursday showed that in absolute term the import value of machinery stood at $3.892 billion during the period under review as against $2.512 billion during the same period of the last year.
Further analysis of the statistics showed that import of textile machinery increased by 66.29 per cent, power generating machinery rose by 32.74 per cent, office machines by 17 per cent, construction and mining machinery 53.62 per cent, electrical machinery and apparatus by 26.98 per cent during the July-March period of the current fiscal year.
The import of roadmotor vehicle registered 8.08 per cent growth during the period under review, aircraft, ship and boats went up by 104.94 per cent, agriculture machinery and implements by 77.67 per cent, respectively. The statistics showed that import bill has declined by 30.94 per cent during the July-March period this year as it stood at $2.760 billion as against $2.108 billion during the same period of the last year.
The analysis showed that import of petroleum products increased by 22.86 per cent during the period under review and import of petroleum crude increased by 37.39 per cent.
The import of agricultural and other chemical items registered 32.89 per cent growth to $2.620 billion during the period under review as against $1.972 billion during the same period of the last year. Further analysis showed that import of fertilizers increased by 37.45 per cent, insecticides by 36.47 per cent, plastic material by 50 per cent during July-March period.
The statistics showed that import of iron and steel scrap registered 139.72 per cent growth during the first nine months of the current fiscal year over the same period of the last year, iron and steel by 78.07 per cent and aluminium, wrought and worked, by 22.88 per cent.
The total increase in the food group stood at 20.63 per cent during the period under review. However, massive increase was registered in the import of unmilled wheat, which stood at 271.56 per cent during the period under review, import of dry fruits increased by 155.60 per cent, import of sugar by 381.46 per cent, pulses by 56.80 per cent, milk, cream by 71.18 per cent and spices by 34 per cent during the same period.
