Cotton arrivals rise by 29 percent, Punjab faces setback

LAHORE: Cotton arrivals in the country have exceeded last year’s total output by nearly 29 percent, but the country’s largest cotton-producing province, Punjab, has seen a sharp decline in its harvest, a data from the ginners showed on Tuesday.

Cotton arrivals until September 30 were recorded at 5.025 million bales, up from last year's total production of 3.90 million bales, a boost of 28.84 percent, according to data released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA).

However, Punjab's silver fiber production has faltered to 2.069 million bales, down from last year's total provincial output of 2.996 million bales, a decline of 44.80 percent.

In contrast, Sindh's cotton harvest has swelled by leaps and bounds this year. Cotton arrivals in Sindh until September 30, 2023 were to the tune of 2.956 million bales, up from 1.879 million bales registered until the end of last season, a jump of 57.31 percent.

On a corresponding basis, cotton arrivals until September 30, 2023 at the national level were recorded at 5.025 million bales, up from 2.936 million bales recorded in the corresponding period of last year, a boost of 71.15 percent.

Although cotton production surged by more than 71 percent year-on-year compared to 2.936 million bales registered on September 30, 2022, the decline in 2022 was mainly attributed to flash floods in the country, especially in Sindh, which devastated large swathes of land and severely damaged the standing cotton crop, resulting in a year-on-year decline of 34 percent.

On a corresponding basis, cotton arrivals in Punjab recorded at 2.069 million bales until September 30, up from 1.545 million bales as on September 15, 2023, a rise of 34 percent.

Similarly, cotton arrivals in Sindh were 2.956 million bales, compared to 2.389 million bales recorded in September 15, an increase of 0.567 million bales, or 23.7 percent. However, cotton arrivals in Sindh surged by 112.6 percent compared to 1.391 million bales registered year-on-year.

Sanghar district in Sindh, followed by Sukkur district, leads the country in cotton production, with 1.431 million bales and 0.339 million bales, respectively.

Bahawalnagar district in Punjab, followed by Bahawalpur district, contributed 0.427 million bales and 0.246 million bales, respectively, to the national productivity.

Surprisingly, Rahim Yar Khan District lost one of the top positions in Punjab's cotton production this year, with its output dropping to third place in the province at 0.223 million bales. Market insiders blamed under-reporting by the ginners as one of the main factors behind the low production of lint in the district.

The improvement in cotton arrivals, an essential raw material for the textile sector, is a welcome development for the national economy.

The textile sector, being the mainstay of the economy, has been responsible for a majority of the country's exports. Any improvement in cotton production provides the country's textile sector with a much-needed competitive edge in competing with other exporters in the global market.

Last month, Gohar Ejaz, the caretaker Minister for Commerce, Industries and Production, who is also the patron-in-chief of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), set an ambitious target of $25 billion in textile exports for the current financial year, up from the $16 billion target for the last fiscal year. The minister also pledged to revive all shuttered industries within the country within one month.