ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: Imports of machinery recorded 17.66 per cent increase to $1015.77 million during the first four months of 2003-04 over the corresponding period of previous year.
According to the external trade statistics for July-October 2003, this group also raised its share to 23.71pc in overall import bill ($4283.80 million), as against 22.75% of the same period last year.
But the top sub-category in this group constituted the roadmotor vehicles on the import of which the country spent $192.22 million, denoting an increase of 28.92pc.
The power generating machinery ($98.40 million) went up by 3.38pc, textile machinery ($166.09 million) by 5.38pc, construction & mining machinery ($35.79 million) by 7.46pc, electrical machinery & apparatus ($74.59 million), and aircraft and boats ($50.60 million) by 82.57pc.
The sub-categories imports that declined during the period under review were: office machine including data processing equipment ($67.65 million) and agricultural machinery & implements ($6.00 million). Their imports were down by 1.15pc and 47.64pc, respectively, as compared to the period July-October, 2002.
PETROLEUM: Imports of items included in this group stood at $889.31 million, denoting a 5.49pc negative growth. The decline, however, occurred only in respect of petroleum products ($370.24 million), while the imports of petroleum crude surged by 22.46pc.
The country imported 2,551,756 tons of petroleum crude during the period under review, that is, 17.93pc more than during the same period of previous year. Its import bill is reported by the FBS as $519.06 million, constituting 12.12pc of the overall import bill, as against 11.17pc of previous year.
Another major category is “agricultural and other chemicals” which cost $872.49 million, that is, 18.81pc more than last year. This increased its share in overall bill from 19.35pc to 20.37pc.
In this group, 513,420 tons of fertilizers were imported, denoting a growth rate of 3.99pc. But the persistent rise in prices of phosphatic fertilizers, their import bill ($103.7 million) went up by 14.98pc.
The import of insecticides jumped by 27.90pc to 15,923 tons during the period under review, while the import bill ($49.21 million) on account thereof was up by 52pc.
The remaining items in this group are plastic materials (196,191 tons) and medicinal products (3,553 tons), denoting an increase of 15.79pc and 28.83pc, respectively.
The imports under metals and miscellaneous groups, in aggregate, cost $321.18 million, raising their share in total import bill to 7.50pc during the 4-month period under review, as against 6.61pc of the same period of previous year.
Besides industrial raw materials/intermediaries such as iron and steel scrap, jute, paper & paper board, etc., finished rubber tyres and tubes are also included in these groups.
The quantity of these imported during July-October was 15,34,149 tyres/tubes, denoting a growth rate of 13.13pc. The figures also indicate steady rise in their price which is why the import bill ($30.34 million) increased by 18.29pc.
FOOD GROUP: The import bill on account of this group stoo d at $322.23 million, down 6.14pc from previous year. The decline is mainly due to a very sharp decline in import of pulses: 81,865 tons as against 206,692 tons of the period July-October 2002.
Accordingly, the import bill of pulses ($22.73 million) plummeted by as much as $40 million (63.82pc).
However, the effect was offset by the soaring imports of edible oils, which were imported 480,635 tons, up 15.44pc from previous year, while the import bill ($220.55 million) registered an increase of over 24pc.
Consequently, the edible oils accounted for 68.45pc of the food group as against 51.63pc of the same period of 2002. As a fraction of overall import bill, the edible oils import bill moved up by 0.48pc to 5.15pc.