Moaaz Manzoor

Pakistan’s exports in August reflected overall stability, with non-traditional sectors making steady contributions that helped balance out weaknesses in food and petroleum shipments, reports Wealth Pakistan.

Latest figures released by the Ministry of Commerce show total exports in July-August 2025-26 at $5,101.80 million, slightly up from $5,069.34 million in the same period last year. Textiles remained the dominant sector, climbing nearly 10% to $3,203.17 million, but several other categories showed encouraging growth.

Sports goods posted an increase of 21.38%, reaching $75.24 million. Within this group, football exports rose by 25.76% to $48.68 million, while gloves expanded by 12.83%. Leather manufacturers added 9.87% to $104.37 million, with leather garments up 12.57% and gloves higher by 7.43%. Footwear exports also rose close to 11%, bringing in $33.60 million.

Engineering items showed similar progress. Cement exports almost doubled to $72.72 million, while auto parts improved 25.14%. Other electric machinery shipments grew from $9.76 million to $19.14 million, marking a gain of 98.67%. Surgical goods and medical instruments added 7.07% growth, valued at $74.58 million.

These gains contrasted with the weaker performance of the Food Group, which fell 23.46% to $774.56 million, and the Petroleum Group, which contracted by 31.81% to $57.57 million. Rice and sugar were the main drags in food, while petroleum products declined both in value and volume.

Analyst noted that while textiles remain the backbone of Pakistan’s exports, non-traditional sectors are steadily broadening their share. “The rise in sports, leather, engineering, and medical instruments shows more balance in the export basket,” one observer said.

Overall, the August numbers suggest that Pakistan’s exports are drawing support from a wider set of industries. Though textiles still account for more than 60% of the total, smaller categories are adding weight, helping stabilize trade performance amid pressure on food and fuel shipments.

Credit: INP-WealthPk