ISLAMABAD - Despite facing different internal and external challenges, textiles export had showed slight growth of 2. 27 percent in the first seven months (July-January) of current financial year against the same period of the last year, Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) reported on Monday. Textile sector that was in the hot water due to prevailing power crisis from last couple of years had shown some positive growth which was positive sign for the overall exports of the country that has been on the declining side since the start of ongoing financial year. According to the official data, export of textile industry has increased to $5.946 billion in the period under review from $5.814 billion against the same period of previous year thus showing an increased of 2.27 percent. Meanwhile, it showed a healthy growth of 23.85 percent in the month of January over the corresponding month of 2009. According to the figures, textile export had increased to $930 million in January from $751 million against same period of previous fiscal year. The data revealed that export of following textile items in July-January increased as follows: raw cotton 142.07 percent, cotton yarn 30.78 percent, yarn 57.59 percent, readymade garments 3.24 percent, art silk and synthetic textile 85.61 percent, made up articles 3.30 percent, and other textile materials 38.41 percent. Meanwhile, according to the figures the following items of textile group showed negative growth: cotton cloth 20.01 percent, cotton carded 62.72 percent, knitwear 5.95 percent, bed wear 4.95 percent, towels 1.23 percent, and tents 10.29 percent, in the July-January period of 2009-10. At the same time export of food group has decline by 4.02 percent in the first seven months of the ongoing financial year. According to the data in traditional products of food group, the export of rice declined by 8.25 percent during July-January, which stands at $1.159 billion against $1.263 billion in the same period last year. In the rice group the export of Basmati went down by 35.30 percent whereas export of other items go up by 24.34 percent. Similarly exports of fish products decrease by 10.01 percent, leguminous vegetable (pulses) 100 percent, tobacco 29.31 percent, wheat and sugar 100 percent. On the other hand the export of fruits went up by 61.88 percent, vegetables 115.32 percent, spices 21.06 percent, and meat 36.20 percent. Export of footwear went down by 20.01 percent, engineering goods 7.79 percent, cement 14.85 percent, molasses 68.38 percent, and guar and guar products 28.89 percent during the said period. On the other hand the imports of food commodities decreased by 27.73 percent in the first seven months of current fiscal year as they were recorded at $1.798 billion against $2.488 billion of the same period of 2008-09. Meanwhile, import of power generating machinery decreased by 23.05pc in the period under review. According to the figures the imports of transport sector showed growth of 28pc in the period under review. In transport group road motor vehicles import went up by 12.33pc, CBU import decreased by 8.35 percent buses trucks and other heavy vehicles went down by 9.41 percent in July-January of 2009-10 as against July-January 2008-09.