ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports showed a decline in all major categories in November as the trade deficit swelled to USD 15.54 billion in just five months of the financial year 2025-26.
According to the advance release of external statistics issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports continued downward trend, declining by 14.54 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis and 14.99 percent on a MoM basis.
In the July-November period of FY26, the total export proceeds stood at USD 12.87 billion compared to USD 13.72 billion in the same period of last year. Whereas imports reached USD28.4 billion in the July-November period of FY26 compared to USD25 billion in the same period of last year, showing an increase of 13.63 percent. In November, a major decline was witnessed in the exports of food items, especially rice.
Pakistan’s trade deficit surges 33% YoY to $2.9bn in November 2025
Food exports down by 46.89 percent, among which rice exports nosedived by 47 percent. Basmati rice exports declined by 56.39 percent, and others (IRRI-6 &9) by 29 percent. Whereas vegetable exports declined by 33 percent, and oil seeds, nuts, and kernels by 59 percent.
On the other hand, tobacco exports went up by 98 percent, fruits by 22.58 percent, and meat and meat preparations by 10 percent. In November, the textile exports declined by 2.57 percent. Among these, cotton yarn exports are down by 26 percent, non-cotton yarn by 35.5 percent, knitwear by 4.9 percent, bedwear by 3.43 percent, and towels by 6.31 percent.
The textile categories, which showed a growth, include readymade garments that went up by 9.21 percent, art, silk, and synthetic textiles by 3.47 percent.
Among other manufacturers, exports of carpets, rugs, and mats declined by 29.32 percent, gloves by 14.92 percent, and tanned leather by 5.42 percent. Whereas sports goods exports showed an increase of 7.8 percent. A 10.62 percent increase was witnessed in football exports. Leather goods exports swelled by 4.27 percent, among which leather garments exports were up by 26.45 percent and leather gloves exports were down by 9 percent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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