ISLAMABAD: The country’s textile and clothing exports fell by 1.35 per cent in April 2025 compared to the same month last year, marking the first monthly decline of the current fiscal year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

The sector had shown consistent, albeit slowing, growth in earlier months, but rising production costs appear to have weighed on performance in recent months.

Export growth in the sector had gradually tapered, registering 13pc in August, 17.92pc in September, 13.11pc in October, 10.81pc in November, 5.55pc in December, 15.85pc in January, 9.31pc in February, and 9.97pc in March before dipping into the negative in April.

In absolute terms, textile and clothing exports in April stood at $1.22 billion, down from $1.24bn in the same month last year.

Despite the April drop, overall textile and clothing exports rose by 8.4pc during the first 10 months (July to April) of FY25, reaching $14.84bn, up from $13.68bn during the same period last year.

Industry stakeholders said the decline reflects deeper structural issues.

Sector’s growth falls to 8.4pc in July-April

Despite having an installed export capacity of $25bn, the sector has seen stagnant growth over the past two years.

Exporters continue to press for the expedited release of long-pending refunds and rebates, which they say are critical to sustaining operations.

The PBS data showed that exports of readymade garments rose 17.52pc in value and 6.44pc in quantity during July-April, while knitwear rose 15.47pc in value and 7.7pc in quantity. Bedwear grew 12.2pc in value and 10.5pc in quantity.

Towel exports rose 4.49pc in value and 4.06pc in quantity during the 10-month period, whereas cotton cloth went down 0.45pc in value and contracted 5.37pc in quantity.

Yarn exports dipped 31.91pc July-April. The exports of made-up articles, excluding towels, increased by 9.10pc and tents, canvas and tarpaulin went up by 11.65pc.

Exports of raw cotton declined 98.5pc during the period under review.

The import of synthetic fibre increased by 9.2pc, and the arrival of synthetic and artificial silk yarn increased by 14.6pc. However, other textile items’ import increased by 74.9pc.

Raw cotton imports surged 236pc during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year from a year ago.

However, the import of second-hand clothes grew 21.2pc. Imports of textile machinery grew 61.7pc year-on-year during the 10 months.

In July-April FY25, the country’s total exports increased by 6.4pc to $26.89bn, up from $25.27bn in the same months last year.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2025