ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports of value-added textile products recorded positive growth during the first two months of 2017-18, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Wednesday.

The upsurge in the value-added textile category has become the main driver of growth in the country’s overall exports, PBS data shows.

Exports of readymade garments grew 15.65 per cent year-on-year to $418.63 million in July-August. Garment exports also witnessed a growth of 16.4pc in terms of quantity.

Exports of knitwear, another value-added product, posted a growth of 7.53pc to $439.26m in July-August. It recorded an increase of 8.23pc in terms of quantity.

A rise of over 8pc was noted in bedwear exports that amounted to $384.32m. In terms of quantity, exports of bedwear recorded a growth of 8.79pc.

Exports of towels rose 0.67pc in value and 0.03pc in quantity during the months under review.

An official of the commerce ministry said the value-added sector achieved growth because of the government’s support. Another reason for the rise in exports of value-added textile products was preferential access to the 28-nation European Union under the GSP+ scheme.

The rise in commodity prices in the international market, according to the official, was another reason for the rise in export proceeds.

On the other hand, exports of intermediate commodities, like cotton yarn, fell 4pc in value and 3.3pc quantity-wise. One of the reasons for the drop was sluggish Chinese demand for yarn and fabric. Cotton cloth exports fell 7.8pc in value while the drop in quantity terms was almost similar. Exports of raw cotton dropped 14.7pc in value and 14.15pc in quantity in the first two months of 2017-18.

Exports of low value-added products, such as cotton-carded, fell 100pc in both value and quantity. Tents and canvas exports fell 22pc in value while those of made-up articles, excluding towels and bedwear, went up 7pc. However, exports of yarn other than cotton yarn fell 0.2pc in value, but increased 0.39pc in quantity.

Overall export proceeds went up 11.8pc to $3.49bn in July-Aug from $3.12bn a year ago. Exports of non-textile products rose 23.5pc to $1.31bn in July-August against $1.06bn over the corresponding period of last year.

For the first time, rice exports witnessed a growth of 40pc in the first two months. The growth was evident in exports of basmati and other varieties.

In the food basket, exports of wheat, sugar and fruits also witnessed a substantial growth during the period under review. Exports of petroleum crude and petroleum naphtha recorded a growth of 100pc and 404pc, respectively. However, exports of carpets and sports goods posted negative growth in July-August.

Exports by the value-added leather sector grew 5.8pc. This export sector had been witnessing negative growth for the past two years. Footwear recorded a paltry growth of 0.1pc during the period under review. Exports of surgical goods posted a growth of 26pc while those of engineering goods recorded a rise of 23pc in July-August.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2017