ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector grew by 6.44 percent during July-April 2025-26 over the same period of the last fiscal, driven by strong gains in automobiles, garments, food and petroleum products, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported Monday.
LSM which is the backbone of the industrial economy with an 8.2 percent GDP share, rebounded strongly in recent months after contracting 0.7 percent in the previous year. The recovery marked a sharp turnaround from recent volatility, when the sector had swung from a 10.6 percent expansion in FY2022 to a steep 7 percent contraction in FY2023 amid import curbs, high energy costs and tight financial conditions.
In July-April 2025-26, production posted growth in Food, Beverages, Tobacco, Textile, wearing apparel, Paper & Board, Coke & Petroleum Products, Rubber Products, Non-metallic Mineral Products, Fabricated Metal, Computer, electronics and Optical Products, Electrical Equipment, Automobiles, Other Transport Equipment, Furniture. In contrast, some indicated decline which include leather products, wood products, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, iron & steel products and machinery and equipment.
The overall growth of 6.44 percent was mainly driven by food (1.60), beverages (0.33), tobacco (0.20), textile (0.05) garments (1.19), petroleum products (0.74), chemicals (-0.18), pharmaceuticals (-0.40), cement (0.50), iron & steel products (-0.30), electrical equipment (0.35), machinery and equipment (-0.01), automobiles (1.61), other transport equipment (0.26), and furniture (0.34). The LSM during April 2026 rose by 6.06 per cent year-on-year and decline 8.3 percent from March, pushing cumulative growth to 6.44 percent during July-April of FY26.
During April 2026, automobiles posted a growth of 83.9 percent from a year earlier and other transport equipment at 57.2 percent. Tobacco output increased 20.8 percent, beverages 9.3 percent, garments rose 15.2 percent and electrical equipment climbed 26.8 percent. Furniture output increased 128 percent, machinery and equipment 61.2 percent, rubber products 21.5 percent and coke & petroleum products output up by 3.8 percent over same month of the last year. Similarly, football output increased 41.5 percent, cement 9.11 percent, paper & board 14.7 percent.
In contrast, textiles output contracted by 3.5 percent, food 2.11 percent, leather 3.4 percent, chemicals 10.3 percent, fertilizers 10.55 percent and pharmaceuticals output reduced by 19 percent and iron & steel production reduced by 12.9 percent.
