Cotton arrival shows 6.8pc decrease

MULTAN: Seed cotton (Phutti) equivalent to over 10,741,381 bales of cotton has reached ginneries across Pakistan as of March 1, showing a decrease of 6.8 per cent as compared to corresponding period last year when ginneries received 11,524,581 bales.

Briefing journalists here on Tuesday, PCGA Data Committee members Malik Talat Iqbal and Salman Maqbool said that fortnightly report revealed that ginneries in Punjab recorded arrival of 6,592,318 bales against the last year arrival of 7,271,323 bales showing a decrease of 9.34 per cent. They said that Sindh ginneries recorded arrival of 4,149,063 bales while last year Sindh received 4,253,258 bales with 2.45 per cent less as compared to corresponding period of last year.

Textile mills had bought 9,433,830 bales while exporters bought 102,330 bales and total bales sold out so far were calculated at 9,536,160 bales, they added. Total 1,205,221 bales were lying unsold, they informed. They said that Multan received 239,726 bales with 15.45pc decrease than the last year, Lodhran received 145,593 bales with 15.35pc decrease, Khanewal received 526,955 bales with a decrease of 25.63pc, Muzaffargarh received 331,372 bales with a decrease of 10.42pc, Dera Ghazi Khan received 475,443 bales with an increase of 8.57pc, Rajanpur district received 427,795 bales with 4.50pc decrease, Layyah received 239,090 bales with 20.94pc decrease, Vehari received 442,587 bales with 24.90pc decrease, Sahiwal received 211,883 bales with 22.98pc less than the last year, Pakpattan received 19,414 bales with 50.39pc decrease, Okara received 12,600 bales with 20.13pc short, Toba Tek Singh received 159,888 bales with 10.73pc decrease, Faisalabad received 34,092 bales with 12.08pc less than the last year, Mianwali received 107,749 bales with a decrease of 47.76pc, Bhakkar received 31,298 with 63.22pc less, Rahimyar Khan received 1,193,040 bales with an increase of 11.26pc than the last year and Bahawalpur received 984,464 bales with 2.91pc decrease.

They told that total 55 ginning factories were operational in the country and out of them, 51 in Punjab and four in Sindh. Total 1,205,221 bales were lying in unsold stock, they maintained.