ISLAMABAD: The textile and clothing exports fell 1.42 per cent to $13.32 billion in 2018-19 from $13.5bn in the preceding year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

Product-wise, garment exports witnessed a growth of 3.03pc in terms of value to $2.65bn year-on-year and 32.77pc in terms of quantity.

On the other hand, exports of value-added products, knitwear, posted a negative growth of 6.92pc to $2.89bn. During the period under review, bed-wear exports increased 0.06pc in value and 8.18pc in quantity whereas those of towels fell by 1.41pc year-on-year in value and 7.21pc in quantity. Export of intermediate commodities including cotton yarn declined by 17.97pc in value and 17pc in quantity due to sluggish demand from China.

Cotton cloth exports dipped 4.64pc in value, but increased 16.61pc in terms of quantity whereas raw cotton exports plummeted by 64.58pc in value and 64.08pc in quantity. Exports of low value-added products, such as cotton-carded, edged up 4,920pc in value and 2,092pc in quantity.

However, exports of yarn – other than cotton yarn – went up 1.51pc in value and 4.27pc in quantity during the fiscal year under review.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2019