LAHORE: Cotton arrivals across Pakistan have surged by nearly 27 percent this season, reaching 1,696,451 bales as of August 31 compared with 1,335,632 bales a year earlier, according to the latest report of the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, with improving weather now brightening the crop outlook in Sindh and Punjab.
Sajid Mahmood, Head of the Transfer of Technology Department at the Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan, told Business Recorder that the increase amounted to 360,819 bales over last year. He said arrivals in Sindh had been slowed earlier by continuous rainfall that delayed crop maturity, but picking is now expected to accelerate as conditions improve, with the overall crop appearing healthier than last year.
Punjab recorded 557,097 bales, up about 19.7 percent, while Sindh posted 1,139,374 bales, a rise of nearly 31 percent. With 332 ginning factories operational nationwide, current stock stood at 158,569 bales, against 200,700 bales last year. Sanghar led all districts with 757,845 bales.
Mahmood said yields could reach 1.25 to 1.5 bales per acre in Punjab and around 2.5 bales per acre in Sindh if favourable weather continues. He also flagged emerging pink bollworm infestations, urging farmers to intensify scouting and pest control as CCRI issued fresh advisory guidelines for September.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026