By Ijaz Kakakhel

Pakistan’s value-added textile exports reached $11.299 billion during July–March FY26, posting an increase of around 1% compared to $11.201 billion in the same period last year, as per the Pakistan Textile Council’s monthly export analysis report available with Wealth Pakistan. The data shows that value-added segments, comprising apparel and other made-up textile articles under chapters 61–63, continued to play a central role in supporting the country’s overall textile export performance during the period under review.

Within this category, non-knit apparel emerged as the leading contributor to growth, with exports increasing by 3.8% to $3,208 million during July–March FY26. This segment showed the strongest upward movement among major textile export categories, indicating improved performance in value-added clothing products. Other made-up textile articles also recorded a moderate increase of 0.6%, with exports rising to $4,347 million compared to $4,323 million in the same period last year.

This category remained the largest within the value-added segment, contributing a substantial share to total textile exports. In contrast, knitwear exports registered a slight decline of 1.1%, falling to $3,743 million from $3,787 million in the corresponding period of FY25. Despite this decrease, knitwear continued to remain one of the key contributors within the apparel segment. In March 2026, exports of apparel and made-up textiles were recorded at $1,087 million, reflecting an 8% decline compared to $1,177 million in March 2025.

However, on a month-on-month basis, exports increased by 2% from $1,065 million in February 2026, indicating a modest recovery in the latest month. A review of trends over recent years shows that value-added textile exports have demonstrated relative resilience compared to traditional textile categories. After declining to $9,731 million in 2023–24, exports in this segment recovered to $11,201 million in 2024–25 and further increased to $11,299 million in the current fiscal period.

The continued growth in value-added segments has helped stabilize Pakistan’s overall textile export performance, offsetting the decline in traditional categories such as cotton, yarn, and fabrics. The data further indicates that value-added products, including garments and made-up articles, continue to form the backbone of Pakistan’s textile exports, contributing the majority share within the sector and supporting export earnings during the period under review.

Credit: INP-WealthPk