Cotton arrival in Pakistan witnessed an improvement of 5.2% as of November 30 compared to November 15, according to the latest fortnightly data released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginner’s Association (PCGA) on Tuesday.

As per the report, total cotton arrival in Pakistan rose to 7.753 million bales compared to 7.371 million bales recorded on November 15, 2023, an increase of 0.382 million bales.

On a year-on-year basis, cotton arrival surged by over 81%, when compared to 4.281 million bales registered on November 30, 2022.

Last year, flash floods in Pakistan devastated large swathes of agricultural land in the country, especially in Sindh and Balochistan, impacting cotton crop production, which witnessed a 34% YoY decline.

The improvement in cotton arrivals, an essential raw material for the textile sector, is a welcome development for cash-strapped Pakistan.

Cotton arrival improves 13.3% in last two weeks of Oct: PCGA

The country’s crucial textile sector, responsible for a majority of Pakistan’s exports, is bearing the brunt of a plunge in demand and escalating economic woes.

Province-wise breakup

As per PCGA data, cotton arrivals reported a substantial increase from both Punjab and Sindh, with arrivals from Sindh exceeding that from Punjab.

As of November 30, cotton arrival in Punjab clocked in at 3.737 million bales as compared to 3.429 million bales reported on November 15, 2023, an increase of 9%. Yearly, cotton arrivals from Punjab jumped by 48.6%, as compared to 2.515 million bales clocked in during the same period last year.

Similarly, cotton arrival in Sindh was 4.017 million bales compared to 3.942 million bales recorded on November 15, an increase of 0.075 million bales or 1.9%.

However, the YoY increase was more pronounced in Sindh, as cotton arrivals jumped by 127.5% as compared to 1.765 million bales registered in SPLY.