Islamabad, Dec 1 (IANS) The exports by Pakistani manufacturers have touched $7.8 billion in the first four months of ongoing 2010-11 fiscal, which marks a substantial 14 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

According to a report issued by State Bank of Pakistan here Wednesday, almost ‘all sectors showed encouraging upward growth in export figures during the given period, barring cement and readymade garments that registered a slight dip’.

‘The textile sector remained atop the export chart in the first four months with $3.76 billion, which was only $3.32 billion last year,’ the report said. Textiles and apparel is the largest export sector of Pakistan with annual volume of around $12 billion.

‘The said duration showed a marked improvement in exports of rice (28 percent) and engineering machinery (50 percent) as compared to the corresponding period last year’.

The Pakistan government has set a collective export target of $21 billion for the current financial year.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)