Cotton arrival up 5.2pc in second half of Nov

KARACHI: Cotton arrival is bouncing back from last year’s floods that ravaged large areas of farmland, increasing supplies for the country’s textile industry that is struggling with a drop in demand and rising economic challenges, industry data showed on Tuesday.

According to the fortnightly data from the Pakistan Cotton Ginner’s Association, cotton arrivals rose 5.2 percent or 0.382 million bales in the second half of November from the first half, reaching 7.753 million bales as of Nov. 30.

That’s also 81 percent higher than the same period a year earlier, when heavy rains and flash floods destroyed cotton fields in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, resulting in a 34 percent drop in output.

This positive trend comes as a relief for the country, which relies heavily on its textile sector—a key contributor to its exports. The textile industry is currently facing challenges due to a significant drop in demand and increasing economic difficulties. The recent increase in cotton supply is expected to provide some respite to the sector, which is a cornerstone of the country's export economy.

The data showed that both Punjab and Sindh, the main cotton-producing provinces, reported higher arrivals in the second half of November, with Sindh surpassing Punjab in terms of total arrivals.

Cotton arrivals in Punjab reached 3.737 million bales as of Nov. 30, up 9 percent from 3.429 million bales on Nov. 15 and 48.6 percent from 2.515 million bales a year ago.

Cotton arrivals in Sindh were 4.017 million bales as of Nov. 30, up 1.9 percent from 3.942 million bales on Nov. 15 and 127.5 percent from 1.765 million bales a year ago.