Pakistan Textile Exports Rise 5.26% to $5.026 Billion in First Quarter, Readymade Garments Lead the Way

Pakistan’s biggest export industry has made a modest but positive start to the fiscal year. Textile and clothing exports reached $5.026 billion in the July-September quarter of 2026-27, up 5.26 per cent from $4.775 billion a year earlier, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data released on Thursday.

Garments did the heavy lifting

Readymade garments were the standout line: exports climbed 15.69 per cent in value to $1.223 billion and 17.38 per cent in quantity. Cotton yarn rose 24.47 per cent to $227.1 million, towels gained 10 per cent to $291.56 million, and knitwear added 4.14 per cent to reach $1.483 billion, though its quantity slipped slightly. Not everything moved up — bedwear dipped marginally and cotton cloth exports fell 5.34 per cent to $425.3 million.

Exporters are not celebrating

The headline number is higher, but the industry is in no mood to call it a success. Mills say expensive energy and other high input costs have blunted their competitiveness, while external shocks have disrupted shipments. Exporters have warned that growth could slow further in the second quarter unless the government takes corrective steps. Two setbacks hang over the trade: commerce with Afghanistan has been suspended since October 2025, and exports to the Middle East — the United Arab Emirates in particular — have fallen because of the war in the region.

The oil bill climbed too

The same data set shows the cost of importing oil rose 6.50 per cent to $4.02 billion in the quarter. Crude oil cost 23.10 per cent more in value even though Pakistan bought 6.87 per cent less of it by quantity — a reminder that the higher bill came from world prices, not from importing more.