ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cutlery exports have made a brisk start to FY2026-27, earning $10.28 million from overseas shipments in July and August, up from $8.728 million in the same period last year.

The increase works out to 17.78%, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) figures. More importantly, cutlery has started the fiscal year growing considerably faster than Pakistan’s overall merchandise exports.

The numbers put a relatively small manufacturing industry in the spotlight at a time when Pakistan needs more export earnings from products other than its traditional heavyweight sectors.

August Brings Another Strong Month

August did not break the momentum. Cutlery manufacturers exported goods worth $5.214 million during the month, compared with $4.424 million in August 2025. That represents year-on-year growth of 17.86%. July had already produced exports of $5.066 million. August therefore brought a further 2.93% month-on-month increase. The amounts may look modest alongside textiles and other major export categories, but the growth rate stands out.

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Pakistan’s total exports reached $5.459 billion during July and August, against $5.100 billion during the corresponding period last year. Overall exports consequently grew 7.04%.

Cutlery, at 17.78%, expanded at more than twice that rate.

That gap makes the industry's performance particularly interesting. Pakistan has spent years trying to increase the share of manufactured and value-added products in its export basket, and cutlery sits squarely in that category.

Wazirabad Industry Finds Fresh Export Momentum

Pakistan already has a long-established cutlery manufacturing base, particularly around Wazirabad, where manufacturers produce knives, forks, spoons and other stainless-steel products for domestic and international customers.

For factories in this business, export growth has a wider economic footprint. A finished piece of cutlery passes through several stages, including metal processing, shaping, polishing, finishing, packaging and marketing. Exporters can therefore capture considerably more value than they would through the sale of unprocessed material.

Two months, however, cannot establish a full-year trend.

The PBS numbers tell us how much money exporters earned, but the headline data do not identify the precise source of the increase. Larger shipment volumes could have played a role. Better export prices or stronger demand for higher-value products could also have contributed.

More monthly data will show whether the industry's early momentum can survive through the remainder of FY27.

Rising Imports Complicate Pakistan’s Trade Picture

There is another side to the story.

Pakistan may have increased exports during the opening two months, but it spent much more on imports.

Imports climbed to $12.575 billion during July-August, compared with $11.125 billion in the same period a year earlier. That amounts to an increase of 13.03%, almost twice the 7.04% growth recorded in exports.

The difference between the reported import and export figures leaves Pakistan with a merchandise trade gap of roughly $7.12 billion for the two-month period. The comparable gap last year stood at around $6.03 billion.

So, despite healthier exports, the country's import bill widened the gap.

That is precisely why smaller export industries matter. Cutlery exports of $10.28 million will not transform Pakistan’s external trade position by themselves. Nor can two strong months guarantee that the industry will maintain its current pace.

But the opening numbers have given manufacturers something worth building on.

With 17.78% growth in July-August and another month-on-month increase in August, Pakistan’s cutlery industry has begun FY27 considerably faster than the country's overall export sector. The real test starts now: turning that early burst into sustained growth over the remaining ten months.