Big industry output posts meagre rise

Dawn reported that Large-Scale Manufacturing output rose just 0.67 per cent year on year in August, citing Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data released on Friday. The Quantum Index stood at 113.19 for the month, compared with 112.45 a year earlier, while production fell 4.96 per cent from July. Across July and August combined, output grew 1.85 per cent, a modest pace for the first two months of fiscal 2026-27.

Food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and iron and steel were the main drags on growth, with food alone subtracting 1.20 percentage points. Food output shrank 8.86 per cent in the two-month period, with cooking oil down 20.46 per cent. Textile production slipped 2.98 per cent even though garment exports climbed 16.69 per cent, while pharmaceutical output dropped 14.57 per cent.

On the other side, automobile output jumped 32.45 per cent, driven by a 30.45 per cent rise in jeeps and cars, while coke and petroleum products surged 15.48 per cent. Petrol output climbed 24.69 per cent and high-speed diesel rose 10.10 per cent. The report described the gains as narrow, with fragile momentum limited to a few industries.