ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has witnessed a significant increase in imports of luxury and consumer goods, with the country’s total imports surpassing $45 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, according to documents released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Data for the period from July to February shows that overall imports increased by 8.21 percent compared to the same period last year.
The documents reveal that mobile phone imports surged by 30 percent, reaching $1.29 billion during the period under review.
Imports of high-end vehicles recorded an extraordinary rise of 126 percent, while overall transport-related imports, including cars, were recorded at $2.58 billion.
Food imports also remained high, reaching $6.41 billion, with agricultural and food-related imports increasing by 18 percent.
The report further noted a rise in imports of key commodities such as sugar, tea, palm oil and soybean.
Meanwhile, machinery imports grew by 11.7 percent to $6.98 billion, while metal imports recorded a 17 percent increase.
In contrast, imports of petroleum products registered a slight decline during the period.
Textile imports also fell by 7 percent, standing at $4.44 billion in the first eight months of the fiscal year, the data added.
