Qudsia Bano

Pakistan’s exports displayed uneven results across major commodity groups during July–October 2025, according to newly released data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. While some sectors posted year-over-year growth, several recorded notable declines in both quantity and value compared with the same period in 2024.

Leather manufactures posted marginal gains, with total export value rising to 204,137 million rupees from 204,832 million rupees in 2024, though dollar earnings slipped slightly to 204,137 thousand dollars from 204,832 thousand dollars. Leather garments exports increased from 754 thousand dozen to 832 thousand dozen, with rupee receipts rising from 25,592 million to 26,039 million.

However, dollar earnings in this category showed only a minor change, moving from 91,888 thousand to 92,177 thousand dollars. Leather gloves also improved in both quantity and value, reaching 3,512 thousand dozen and 30,117 million rupees, compared with 3,287 thousand dozen and 30,172 million rupees last year. The footwear sector delivered mixed results. Total footwear exports increased in quantity, driven mainly by the surge in “other footwear,” which rose from 2,969 thousand pairs to 4,381 thousand pairs.

This lifted rupee earnings from 2,877 million to 3,991 million and dollar receipts from 10,340 thousand to 14,141 thousand. However, exports of leather footwear and canvas footwear declined in both volume and value. Surgical goods and medical instruments showed steady growth, with export value rising to 43,449 million rupees from 41,842 million rupees, while dollar earnings increased to 147,835 thousand from 147,830 thousand dollars.

Several industrial categories, however, experienced sharp declines. Plastic materials fell significantly in quantity from 152,549 metric tons to 99,467 metric tons, dragging rupee earnings down from 50,856 million to 30,139 million and dollar receipts from 182,797 thousand to 106,685 thousand. Pharmaceutical exports also decreased from 33,031 metric tons to 29,367 metric tons, with dollar earnings slipping to 137,031 thousand from 155,443 thousand.

Engineering goods exhibited varied outcomes. Exports of electrical fans declined slightly in quantity but increased in both rupee and dollar value. In contrast, transport equipment and other electrical machinery recorded substantial drops. Cement exports registered strong growth, rising from 2,857,679 metric tons to 3,440,737 metric tons.

Rupee earnings increased to 29,053 million from 29,095 million, while dollar receipts inched up from 104,617 thousand to 104,619 thousand. Exports classified under “all other items” rose to 221,755 million rupees from 211,053 million rupees in the corresponding period of 2024, reflecting steady gains across a range of smaller product categories.

Overall, Pakistan’s export basket posted a measured upward movement, recording a 5.07 percent increase in rupee value and a 3.52 percent growth in dollar earnings over July–October 2024. The broader trend indicates that while several major sectors came under pressure, improvements in other categories contributed to incremental expansion in total export receipts during the first four months of the fiscal year.

Credit: INP-WealthPk