ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: A surge in imports of machinery, consumer goods, metal group and petroleum products increased the import bill by 44.27 per cent to $4.231 billion during the first two months (July-August) of the current fiscal year, as against $2.932 billion during the same period last year.

Official figures made available to Dawn on Thursday indicated that this massive increase in the imports had widened the trade gap by 176.27 per cent to $1.551 billion during the period under review, as against $0.561 billion over the same period last year.

The statistics showed that a huge increase of 61.93 per cent was recorded in the import of machinery, followed by 32.51 per cent increase in consumer goods, 34.79 per cent in metal group, and 28.97 per cent rise in petroleum products.

Product-wise details showed that the value of total import bill of machinery increased to $1,110.005m in July-Aug this year, as against $685.477m during the same months last year.

A further break-up of the machinery group showed that the imports of textile machinery increased by 30.50 per cent, electrical machinery and apparatus by 42.26pc, road motor vehicles by 96.87 per cent, aircraft, ship and boats by 278.12 per cent and agriculture machinery and implements rose by 250.29 per cent.

However, the imports of power generating machinery declined by 27.15 per cent, office machines by 7.64 per cent and construction and mining machine by 36.83 per cent during the months under review over the same period last year.

In quantity and value term, the import bill of petroleum products increased by 28.97 per cent to $862.383 million during July-August this year as compared to $668.663 million in the same months last year.

The import bill of consumer goods increased by 32.51pc to $276.137 million during the months under review, as against $208.199 million in the same period last year. Of these, the import of sugar increased by 12,100pc, dry fruits by 114.63pc, milk products by 73.70pc, and pulses by 15.37pc during the July-August period of this year.

The import of metal group has increased by 34.79pc to $229.029 million during the months under review as compared to $169.913 million in the same months last year.