Ginneries receive 2.1m less cotton bales

MULTAN: The ginning factories have received 2.1 million less cotton bales as compared to the last year while the present arrival of cotton bales is unlikely to meet the textile requirements this year, The News has learnt.

The textile sector needs more than six million bales to run the mills, but the crop is already short of 2.1 million bales. The latest shortfall in the cotton production is established in the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association’s report released on Tuesday.

According to the report, 8,565,376 cotton bales have been received by ginning factories across the country till March 1 while the last year the ginning factories had received 10,741,381 bales, showing a shortfall of 2.1 million bales.

The PCGA report said that the Punjab, which is one of the largest cotton growing provinces, faces a shortfall of 22.77pc in cotton arrival. The ginning factories in the province have received 5,091,397 bales till March 1 while the last year the province had received 6,592,318 bales, showing a shortfall of 1,500,921 bales.

The ginning factories in Sindh have received 3,473,979 bales while it had received 4,140,063 bales in the same corresponding period of last year. The province has shown 16.27pc decline in the cotton arrival. Eighteen Punjab districts have shown massive decline in the cotton production out of 21 cotton growing districts.

The Vehari district, which is the heart of cotton, witnesses 54.71pc decline in cotton production, Lodhran 45.19pc, Jhang 49.13pc, Toba Tek Singh 44.8pc, Faisalabad 42.61pc, Multan 37.19pc, Layyah 36.32pc, Bahawalpur 36.4pc, Muzaffargarh 35.51pc, Rajanpur 32.62pc, Khanewal, 31.5pc, Bhakkar 27.3pc, Dera Ghazi Khan 17.79pc, Mianwali 10.69pc, Rahimyar Khan 7.2pc and Sahiwal 3.55pc. The cotton production has increased in only three districts, including Pakpattan 23.73pc and Okara 6.17pc. The cotton sowing has completely vanished in Kasur and Sargodha districts.

Similarly, nine Sindh districts have witnessed decline in cotton production out of 12 cotton growing districts. Nawabshah district has witnessed 44.7pc decline, Khairpur 24.45pc, Dadu 19.5pc, Sukkur 19.5pc, Naushero Feroz 16.80pc, Ghotki 9.73pc, Hyderabad 8.84pc, Sanghar 11.83pc and Jamshoro 8.72pc.

Total 8,552,667 pressed lint bales are prepared from the Phutti arrived at the ginning factories while the report mentions that 31 ginning factories remained functional in the country. The exporters have procured 58,666 bales. However, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan did not purchase a single bale from the ginners during the cotton crop season 2019/20, the PCGA report said.

Over the last five years, the cotton production has decreased from 13.86 million bales to 11.98 million bales, causing a loss of Rs 535 billion (almost 2 per cent of total GDP) to the economy.