ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports rebounded 21.27 per cent year-on-year in April, a signal of recovery in global demand following months of fluctuations.

This much-needed rebound breaks the sluggish trend because exports had largely remained in negative territory since October 2025, barring an uptick in January, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports fell by 7.06pc in March, 7.22pc in February, 8.56pc in December, 2.57pc in November and 0.57pc in October. In January, exports grew 3.14pc on a year-on-year. Official data showed that textile and clothing exports slightly rose to $1.480bn in April from $1.220bn a year ago.

The PBS data showed exports of readymade garments surged 15.90pc in value and 23.52pc in quantity in April, while knitwear increased 24.33pc in value and 23.56pc in quantity. Bedwear surged 21.28pc in value and 23.59pc in quantity.

Oil import bill surges 68pc in April

Towel exports slightly increased 5.13pc in value and 6pc in quantity in April, whereas cotton cloth went up 15.40pc in value and 22.03pc in quantity, respectively. Yarn exports surged 109.06pc YoY in April. The exports of made-up articles, excluding towels, increased by 15.24pc, while tents, canvas, and tarpaulin declined by 51.33pc in April FY26.

The import of synthetic fibre decreased 1.55pc, and the arrival of synthetic and artificial silk yarn fell by 0.75pc in April. The import of raw cotton declined 61.33pc during the month from a year ago. However, the import of second-hand clothes dipped 0.25pc.

Oil imports fall

Pakistan’s oil import bill surged 67.63pc to $2.271bn in April from $1.354bn over the same month last year. The growth was recorded in quantity, especially of petroleum products. Data show a 96.87pc increase in the value of petroleum products, along with a 24.08pc rise in quantity during the month under review.

Contrary to this, the import of crude oil increased by 119.99pc in value, with a 1.38pc rise in quantity, indicating that the higher value of crude oil is due to rising international oil prices.

On the other hand, the arrival of liquefied natural gas remained zero while imports of liquefied petroleum gas rose 27.96pc, reflecting a demand for energy products.

Imports of the telecommunication group surged by 30.09pc year-on-year, mainly due to higher mobile phone imports during the months under review. The import of mobile handsets increased by 29.17pc to $1.621bn during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, compared with $1.254bn in the corresponding months of the last year.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026