LAHORE: Cotton arrivals at ginning factories across the country have risen sharply in the early part of the current season, with Sindh leading a nationwide upswing while Punjab posted a marginal decline, according to figures released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA).
Total arrivals reached 785,822 bales as of July 31, 2026, up 32.33 percent from 593,821 bales recorded during the corresponding period last year.
Sindh recorded 487,672 bales against 292,340 bales a year earlier, a jump of 66.82 percent, while Balochistan posted 22,900 bales, up 52.67 percent from 15,000 bales.
Punjab, however, registered a slight dip, with arrivals of 298,150 bales against 301,481 bales last year, a decline of 1.10 percent.
Speaking to Business Recorder, Sajid Mahmood, head of the Transfer of Technology Department at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, said the figures show early season arrivals had remained stronger than last year, with Sindh’s near two-thirds increase reflecting improved production, timely picking and more effective crop management.
He said the overall national trend was encouraging despite Punjab’s slight decline, and described Balochistan’s growth of more than 52 percent as a positive sign despite its smaller production base.
However, hecautioned that the numbers were still preliminary, and that arrivals in August and September would offer a clearer picture of the season’s overall output.
If momentum in Sindh continued and Punjab’s position improved, he said, Pakistan’s total cotton production this season could exceed last year’s, benefiting both growers and the textile industry through better domestic availability of raw material.
Mahmood also warned that rising humidity and muggy weather were raising the risk of whitefly and other sap-sucking pest infestations, along with crop diseases, while conditions remained favourable for increased pink bollworm pressure. Excessive moisture, he said, could damage the colour of open bolls and the quality of cotton fibre, lowering the crop’s market value, while leaf yellowing, shedding of flowers and bolls, and reduced yield were common effects of such conditions. Persistent humidity or rainfall could also delay field access and postpone plant protection sprays, complicating timely pest and disease control.
He urged growers to drain excess water from fields immediately, inspect crops thoroughly once water recedes, monitor pests and diseases regularly, apply plant protection measures based on economic threshold levels, and consult agricultural extension officials for the timely use of recommended pesticides and other management practices.
On the ginning sector, Mahmood said 231 factories were currently operational nationwide, compared with 225 during the same period last year.
Unsold cotton stocks stood at 78,044 bales, up from 64,667 bales a year earlier, while exporters and traders had purchased 3,400 bales so far, including 2,200 bales from Punjab and 1,200 bales from Sindh, compared with no purchases recorded during the same period last year.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026