Imports of intermediate goods jump by 17.54pc

Imports of intermediate goods during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY 18) increased by 17.54 per cent, according to an estimation done by the customs authority.

The data showed that payments made for importing intermediate goods stood at US$22.23 billion in July-March period of the current fiscal year, which was $18.91 billion in the same period of the past fiscal.

Intermediate goods share about 50 per cent of the total imports of the country.

The statistics, complied by the central bank, also showed that there are 14 types of intermediate goods and those are generally used to produce finished items.

These are: clinker, crude petroleum, petroleum and oil, oil seeds, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, fertiliser, dyeing and tanning materials, plastics and rubber articles, raw cotton, yarn, textile and articles thereof, staple fibre, iron, steel and other base metals.

These goods are usually sold from industry to industry for resale or the production of other goods.