Karachi Ports Handle 76% of Country’s Exports: Report

Pakistan’s port city Karachi handles 76 percent of exports through its ports, including Port Qasim and Karachi Port East and West and MCC Port Qasim, according to the recent PSW assessment report. Port Qasim (PQA) leads with a substantial 40.4 percent share of the total exports, followed by Karachi Port (KPT) at 34.3 percent. The other busiest port is the Lahore Air Freight Unit, which manages about 8.1 percent of total exports for Pakistan, followed by the Islamabad Air Freight Unit, which mostly carries surgical goods and medicaments. Lahore Air Freight unit contributes 8.1 percent, while Sialkot and Islamabad represent 3.44 percent and 3.42 percent, respectively. Lahore Dry holds a share of 1.79 percent, and Chaman contributes 1.77 percent. Faisalabad, Ghulam Khan, and Quetta each have shares of 0.48 percent, 0.2 percent, and 0.17 percent, respectively. Kharlachi KPK, Multan, and Peshawar account for 0.15 percent, 0.08 percent, and 0.08 percent, respectively. Multan Dry, Angoor Ada, Gujranwala, Saindak, Risalpur, Gwadar, and Sust collectively represent smaller shares ranging from 0.06 percent to 0.01 percent of the total exports. The USA is the biggest export partner with a 5.5 percent share in the total exports. It is followed by China and Germany with 3.2 percent and 2.5 percent share. The share of exports to the UK stands at 2.2 percent and the UAE at 1.3 percent by 2022, according to the report. The total value of all imported commodities across all collectorates is $10.128 billion. MCC Port Qasim, EPZ, and Karachi Air Freight Unit handle about 83 percent of all imports coming into Pakistan, implying that Karachi is taking a disproportionately big load for all import handling. MCC Appraisement Karachi East secures the top position, contributing 19.13 percent to the total value. MCC PMBQ-Bulk follows closely, representing 18.54 percent of the total. Other notable collectorates include MCC Appraisement Karachi West, Port Qasim (Imports)-Karachi, and MCC Appraisement – East Wharf, each contributing significantly to the overall value of imported commodities.