Maintaining a robust trajectory, Pakistan’s textile exports reached $13.68 billion during the first ten months (July – April) of the fiscal year 2023-24.

Representing a marginal decline of 0.19 per cent compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, this figure highlights the resilience of Pakistan's textile sector amidst global economic fluctuations.

According to a report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), despite the slight dip, several textile commodities experienced positive trade growth. Exports of raw cotton grew by an impressive 319.91 per cent, from $13.357 million last year to $15.944 million this year. Cotton yarn exports increased by 32.83 per cent, rising from $636.832 million to $845.923 million, while bed wear exports saw a 1.82 per cent growth, climbing from $2,249.778 million to $2,290.796 million.

Exports of towels also witnessed significant growth of 4.81 per cent, reaching $864.547 million from $824.879 million, and made-up articles rose by 0.67 percent to $589.026 million from $585.102 million.

However, exports of certain textile commodities experienced negative growth during the review period. For instance, exports of cotton cloth declined by 7.53 per cent, from $1,684.724 million to $1,557.909 million, while exports of cotton carded or combed decreased by 15.93 per cent, from $0.996 million to $0.837 million. Exports of yarns other than cotton yarn declined by 20.76 percent, dropping from $36.302 million to $28.766 million while knitwear exports dipped by 3.92 percent, decreasing from $3,712.066 million to $3,566.624 million.

Similarly, exports of tents, canvas, and tarpaulin decreased by 16.52 per cent, from $116.959 million to $97.632 million, and ready-made garments saw a slight decrease of 0.57 percent, declining from $2,904.693 million to $2,888.177 million. Additionally, exports of art, silk, and synthetic textiles experienced a decline of 12.08 per cent, dropping from $342.917 million to $301.496 million.

Despite these fluctuations, Pakistan’s textile exports witnessed a year-on-year increase of 0.37 percent, rising from $1,232.803 million in April 2023 to $1,237.316 million in April 2024. However, on a month-on-month basis, textile exports decreased by 4.84 percent compared to the exports of $1,300.288 million in March 2024.