Fruit exports bring in $274 million for Pakistan in 10 months

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fruit exports saw a significant rise, with a 17.85 per cent increase during the first ten months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The latest PBS data reveals that fruit exports from July 2023 to April 2024 amounted to $274.23 million, up from $232.7 million during the corresponding period of 2022-2023. This growth reflects a robust performance in the agricultural export sector.

On a year-on-year basis, fruit exports in April 2024 surged by 29.32 per cent, reaching $8.16 million compared to $6.31 million in April 2023. However, on a month-on-month basis, fruit exports experienced a sharp decline of 58.51 per cent, dropping to $8.16 million in April 2024 from $19.63 million in March 2024.

Overall, Pakistan’s merchandise exports increased by 9.10 per cent during the first ten months of the fiscal year 2023-24, totaling $25.28 billion compared to $23.17 billion during the same period last year.

Conversely, imports into the country decreased by 4.09 per cent, amounting to $44.79 billion this year, down from $46.71 billion last year. Consequently, the trade deficit for the first ten months of the current fiscal year narrowed by 17.09 per cent, recorded at $19.51 billion against the previous year’s deficit of $23.54 billion.

These figures underscore a positive trend in Pakistan’s trade balance, driven by rising exports and declining imports, reflecting the country’s ongoing efforts to boost its export sector and reduce reliance on imports.

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