Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment AbdulRazak Dawood said on Friday that Pakistan’s exports for the month ofDecember 2020 have grown by 18.3 percent to $2.357 billion.

Pakistan’s exports grew for the fourth consecutive month in December.

He said that this is the highest export ever in the month of December,adding “for the period July-December 2020, our exports increased by 4.9% toUSD 12.104 billion as compared to USD 11.533 billion in the correspondingperiod last year”.

As compared with November 2020 figures, it grew by 9.07%. During November,the trade figures had grown to $2.161 billion.

Managing Director at Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities, A.A.H Soomro, toldProPakistani,

This is a shockingly positive surprise. Double-digit growth in Exportswould change the growth momentum. Need to see the break-up but policiesseem to be bearing fruits on cheaper energy, prompt refunds & ease of doingbusiness. Need to widen the base & focus on service & manufacturingexports. Very impressive numbers!

However, it may be noted here that the figures that the adviser sharedFriday afternoon are provisional figures from the Ministry of Commerce. Theactual data is yet to be released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics(PBS) regarding exports as well as other factors like trade deficit.

Sharing the provisional data, Dawood said that this shows the resilience ofthe economy of Pakistan and it is a vindication of the government’s policyto keep the wheels of the economy running during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I commend our exporters for achieving this feat during these testing timesand urge them to aggressively focus on capturing a larger share ofinternational trade,” he said, concluding with a hearty appreciation, withthe words “Exporters you are a great asset for our country and I salute youall”.