Growing trade gap |
PAKISTAN’S merchandise exports have been experiencing a pronounced decline for the last several months, with November trade data of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showing a significant 15.4pc year-on-year dip from $2.8bn to roughly $2.4bn. The downward momentum is particularly worrisome, as the decline in November marks the fourth consecutive monthly contraction since August this fiscal year; it exposes structural weaknesses in the fragile export sector. The downturn also indicates that the decline may be more than a temporary blip. Overall, export proceeds have fallen by 6.39pc to $12.84bn during the first five months of the current fiscal to........