Pakistan’s knitwear shipments grew 16.25 per cent in January 2019 compared to the same period of the previous year. Knitwear exports grew 11.35 per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Total textile exports from Pakistan in the first seven months of the current fiscal year were up 1.19 per cent from the same period last year.

The aim is to enhance knitwear exports by 20 per cent a year. Pakistan’s knitwear garment sector has topped the list of the textile groups for three years and it also provides the highest employment in the textile group.

The country’s knitwear industry plays a vital role in value addition of the textile sector. There is a great potential for further development with substantial value addition in the form of knitwear apparel, sportswear, socks, gloves etc. Pakistan is diversifying knitwear products to introduce more innovations and incentives to boost exports. The sector has an export potential despite remaining under pressure from competitors mainly Bangladesh and the Far Eastern nations. But Pakistan’s textile export share in the global market is just 2.05 per cent.