The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has expressed concerns over the final cotton output for the season, attributing potential losses to heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, and the spread of the cotton leaf curl virus.
Despite a 40% increase in cotton arrivals by September 15, 2025, compared to the previous year, the PCGA report highlighted the risk of lower production. Sajid Mahmood, Head of the Technology Transfer Department at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan, informed Business Recorder that Punjab had recorded 690,254 bales, a 28% increase over last year, while Sindh saw arrivals rise to 1,314,130 bales, reflecting a 47% increase. Balochistan contributed 75,100 bales.
As of now, 1,652,204 bales have been procured by textile mills, leaving 325,780 bales in stock nationwide. With 428 ginning factories operational, Mahmood warned that recent rains and floods could reduce production by 0.6 to 1 million bales.
Areas in southern Punjab, including Jalalpur Pirwala, Alipur, and Lodhran, suffered extensive damage, while Bahawalnagar’s tehsils of Fort Abbas, Minchinabad, Chishtian, and Haroonabad saw nearly 40% of the crop affected. These losses are expected to impact both farmers and the ginning and textile sectors.
Mahmood forecasted that the national cotton output might be limited to just 5 million bales, necessitating imports of over 6 million bales, which could strain foreign exchange reserves and widen the trade deficit.
