Textile exports declined to $4.20bn during Jul-Nov

Saturday, December 26, 2009
By Israr Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani textiles sold abroad fell by 3.21 per cent to $4.20 billion, rice export cut by about one-third to $699.18 million and petroleum and coal down by one-fourth to $357 million during July-November 2009-10, the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) has reported.

Whereas, during the same period of the last fiscal 2008-09, textiles exports stood at $4.34 billion, rice $1.01 billion and petroleum and coal exports were recorded at $471.83 million; gems and furniture exports also down sizably.

Jewellery exports however provided encouraging figures and increased by 222 per cent during the period under review, proving that there is immense potential in the sector.

Lack of expertise, however, is a major constraint in its growth and development otherwise it has the potential to help boost the economy.

According to the government planners’ assessments, northern Pakistan had enough amounts of gems and precious stones, that if exported, they could earn about $5 billion a year for the country.

However, the mining, cutting and polishing techniques of the gems and precious stones, that could have made them more valuable, were not up to the international standard. Gems exports went down 14.2 per cent to $1.3 million, furniture 9.38 per cent to $3.59 million and jewellery exports increased by more than three times to $263.7 million.

During the same period last year, their exports were $1.51 million, $3.96 million and $81.95 million respectively.

The statistics division said food items exports also were reduced by 22.45 per cent to $1.127 billion against $1.45 billion during July-November 2008-09. Cement exports declined by 18.3 per cent during July-November 2009-10 to $215.86 million against $264.46 million recorded during the same period of the previous year.

Textile Sector: The textile sector exports are occupying a major share of about 55 per cent of the country’s total exports that recorded at $7.61 billion during first five months of the fiscal year 2009-10.

During the period under review, total exports showed a decline of 7.4 per cent against $8.23 billion earned in July-November 2008-09.

A cursory look at the export data reveals that in the textile sector, cotton cloth exports fell by 30 per cent to $665.7 million against $949.5 million the previous year, cotton carded or combed revenues fell by 92 per cent to $0.75 million against $9.43 million in the last fiscal.

Bed wear earned $701 million against $755.5 million the previous year, showing a decline of 7.2 per cent; knitwear earned $764.5 million against $826.7 million, depicting a decline of 7.52 per cent; towel exports squeezed by six per cent to $270.5 million, tent, canvas and tarpaulin by 12.2 pc to $22.14 million and made-up articles (excluding towels and bed wears) exports down by 1.2 per cent to $210 million.

In contrast, raw cotton exports earned $108.5 million against $52.31 million, depicting an increase of 107 per cent; cotton yarn increased by 18.28 per cent to $590 million last year during the same period it stood at $499 million, yarn other than cotton yarn also up by 30.7 per cent to $16.88 million against 12.9 million last year; art, silk and synthetic textile increased by 86.4 per cent to $205.5 million during July-November 2009-10.

Petroleum Group & Coal: Among this, petroleum products (excluding top naphtha) exports decreased by 14.77 per cent to $236.45 million, petroleum top naphtha 38 per cent to $120.5 million and solid fuel (coal) exports declined by 80.85 per cent to only 36 thousand dollars.

Last year during the same period these stood at $277.4 million, $194.2 million, and $0.18 million respectively.

Other Manufactures Group: under this head, leather tanned exports went down by 24 per cent to $111 million, leather manufactures by 28 per cent to $199.6 million, footwear 19.5 per cent to $42.36 million, surgical goods and medical instruments 12 per cent to $96 million, engineering goods 12 per cent to $102.7 million and molasses exports down by 61 per cent to $1.37 million during July-November 2009-10.

Manufactured fertilizer export during July-November 2009-10 increased by 174.4 per cent to $0.118 million, plastic materials 14.28 per cent to $96 million, electric fans 37.7 per cent to $13.1 million and transport equipments export up by 105 per cent to $12.67 million during the period under review.