Exports have fallen in current fiscal, NA said.

The National Assembly was informed by the Ministry of Finance on Friday that the exports of the country had decreased during the current fiscal year.

The written reply submitted to the lower house of parliament reveals that exports during the fiscal year 2018-19 declined to $22.98 billion as against $23.20 billion in FY 2017-18. Similarly, the imports also slumped by 24.7 percent to $45.80 billion in FY 2018-19 as compared with $60.86 billion in FY18, it added.

Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce, Industries and Production Aliya Hamza Malik said with the decrease in imports, Pakistan's trade deficit has also declined considerably in the first half of the current fiscal year.

She said that Pakistan has benefitted by obtaining the GSP Plus status as trade with EU has improved.

"The government is continuing bilateral talks with the EU countries to promote trade while trade exhibitions are also being organised in various countries," she said. "The GSP...