Cotton production in Pakistan has seen a substantial growth of 22 percent by October 15 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to data from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association.
However, this increase was not uniform across the country, as cotton production in Punjab plunged by 16 percent, while Sindh recorded a remarkable 84 percent growth.
By October 15, a total of 5.99 million bales of cotton had arrived at ginning factories nationwide, marking a 16 percent rise over the total production of the previous cotton season. In Sindh, cotton arrivals reached 3.45 million bales, representing an 84 percent surge compared to the previous year.
The Sanghar district in Sindh emerged as the largest cotton-producing district, with 1.55 million bales, contributing 45 percent to Sindh’s and 26 percent to the national production of lint.
In Punjab, 2.54 million bales arrived at ginning factories during the same period, 16 percent less than the province’s total production in the previous year. The decline in Punjab’s cotton production is attributed to a heavy whitefly attack on the crop.
Chairman of the Cotton Ginners Forum Ihsanul Haq expressed concerns about the overall cotton production, suggesting that the domestic cotton production for the year is expected to be around 9 million bales, falling short of the revised target of 11.5 million bales.
It is said that local textile mills have purchased 4.99 million bales from ginning factories, while a foreign company acquired 0.268 million bales, leaving 0.735 million bales still available for sale with the ginners.
One notable factor contributing to the increase in available cotton stock is the recent depreciation of the dollar, along with rising electricity and gas prices. In addition, textile exporters are waiting for refunds worth more than Rs700 billion.
