Cotton arrivals up 27% to 1.7m bales

According to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, which released the figures on Thursday, cotton arrivals across the country reached 1.696 million bales at the close of August. That is 27% above the 1.336 million bales received over the same period last year, an increase of 360,819 bales. Both major producing provinces recorded gains.

Punjab supplied 557,097 bales, up from 465,570 last season, a gain of nearly 20%. Sindh supplied 1.139 million bales, against 870,062 last year, roughly 31% more. Currently 332 ginning factories are operating and hold 158,569 bales in stock. Textile mills have bought 1.465 million bales, roughly 86% of the total, while exporters and traders have purchased 73,000 more.

Early arrivals in Sindh slowed because persistent rainfall delayed crop maturity, though officials expect picking to speed up once hot and dry weather arrives. The Central Cotton Research Institute in Multan has urged growers to monitor crops regularly and manage pests, as pink bollworm cases were seen in some areas of both provinces. Under favourable conditions, the institute's projections put Punjab at 1.25 to 1.5 bales per acre and Sindh near 2.5.