Cotton arrivals surge 27pc

Pakistan's cotton arrivals jumped 27 per cent, unexpectedly, to close to 1.7 million bales by August 31, Dawn reported. Figures from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, which the Central Cotton Research Institute in Multan has backed, put the nationwide total at 1,696,451 bales, up from 1,335,632 bales a year earlier. The gain is credited to dry weather, cooler nights and favourable southerly winds, which lifted yields per acre and cut trash and moisture in the crop.

Sanghar ranked first nationally with 757,845 bales, while Sindh as a province contributed 1,139,374 bales, up 31 per cent. Punjab added 557,097 bales, a rise of close to 20 per cent from a year earlier. Local mills bought a record 975,000 bales from ginning factories, 34 per cent more than last year, while exporters took 70,600 bales and the number of operating ginning units reached 332.

Dawn also reported industry concerns, with Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq warning that some ginners are blending cotton waste into pure cotton. He said the practice must be stopped quickly, otherwise lint quality would suffer and Pakistan's reputation could be harmed.