Textile exports drop to $1.42bn in March

April 16, 2026 (MLN): The country's total textile exports drop by 1.29% YoY to $1.42bn in March 2026 compared to $1.44bn in March 2025, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed.

Conversely, on a month-on-month basis, the exports of the same group registered an increase of 5.04% MoM compared to exports worth $1.36bn in February 2026.

Cumulatively in 9MFY26, the textile exports grew by 2.28% YoY to $13.34bn compared to $13.04bn in 9MFY25.

The total exports as per BOP for March clocked in at $2.53bn, down by 8.45% YoY compared to $2.76bn in March 2025.

Conversely, on a monthly basis, exports rose by 1.85% MoM.

In March 2026, Textile Group products remained the major exportable goods for Pakistan as this group accounted for 56.36% of the total exports.

During the review month, key contributing products under the textile head were Readymade Garments ($362.74m), Knitwear ($344.09m), and Bed Wear ($242.15m).

Readymade Garments exports rose by 9.91%, Knitwear exports dropped by 8.36%, and the inflow of foreign currency through Bed Wear moved up by 0.4% .

The food group remained the second most contributing group in total exports. The export value of this group stood at $424.59m, showing a significant decline of 15.59% YoY compared to $503.01m in March 2025.

Conversely, on a monthly basis, the exports from the respective group rose by 7.79% MoM compared to $393.9m in February 2026.

Collectively in 9MFY26 P, the earnings from food group exports fell by 30.83% YoY to $3.51bn compared to $5.08bn in 9MFY25.

Under the same group, Rice remained the major source of foreign exchange earnings as the export value of the commodity during March 2026 stood at $198.22m marking an increase of 3.44% MoM and 25.87% YoY.

The export of Oil Seeds, Nuts and Kernels stood at $32.89m in March, increasing by 90.22% YoY and 68.33% MoM compared to $17.29m in March 2025 and $19.54m in February 2026 respectively.

Going forward, the exports of surgical goods & medical instruments declined by 2.85% YoY to clock in at $45.86m.

The exports of leather manufacturers also saw a positive trend as they grew by 8.24% YoY to $59.39m in March 2026.

Similarly, sports goods foreign earnings increased by 17.85% YoY to $40.23m in March 2026.

However, when compared with the figure of $32.79m in February 2026, the export of sports goods has improved by 22.71% MoM.

Inflow through the chemical and pharmaceutical products decreased by 3.55% YoY to $120.8m in March 2023 compared to $125.25m in SPLY.

The data further shows that the share of the Petroleum group in the country’s total export basket was only 4.35% in March 2026.

During the review period, the country earned $109.97m from exports of petroleum products, increasing by 93.86% YoY.

Copyright Mettis Link News