LSM sector grows 9pc YoY

HAMZA HABIB

ISLAMABAD: The Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector showed a growth of almost 9 percent in July of the 2025-26 fiscal year on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, mainly on the back of the robust performance of the textile sector.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Tuesday, LSM registered a growth of 8.99 percent in July on a year-on-year basis and2.60 percent on a month-on-month basis.

The main contributors towards overall growth are food (0.89), beverages (-0.39), garments (3.80), paper & board (0.36), petroleum products (1.01), chemical (-0.24), automobiles (1.33), non-metallic mineral products (0.96), and furniture (0.91).

The sectors that showed double-digitgrowth in July of the 2025-26 fiscal year on a YoY basis are wearing apparel24.8 percent, paper & board 15 percent, coke & petroleum products 13.2 percent, rubber products 17.3 percent, non-metallic mineral products 16.5 percent, automobiles 57.80 percent, transport equipment 45.8 percent, furniture 86.8 percent, and football manufacturing33.7 percent.

The sectors showing decline during July compared to the corresponding period of FY 2024-25includebeverages6.19 percent, wood products 2.24 percent, chemicals including fertilisers 1.60 percent, iron and steel products 3.69 percent, fabric metal 3.55 percent, and machinery and equipment 22.8 percent.

In July of the current financial year, the textile sector exports increased by an impressive 32 percent to $1.68 billion, and as a result, these exports boosted the performance of the large-scale manufacturing sector.