Cotton production jumps 32 per cent

Cotton production in Pakistan has surged by 32 percent year-on-year through July 31, according to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA). Textile mills have increasingly relied on imports as domestic output declines. The PCGA report revealed that phutti arrivals, or seed cotton shipments to ginning factories, reached 785,822 bales in July 2026, up 32.33 percent from 593,821 bales in the same period last year.

Punjab's arrivals dropped by 1.1 percent to 298,150 bales, while Sindh recorded a record 66.82 percent increase with 487,672 bales. Balochistan also saw a 52.67 percent rise in arrivals to 22,900 bales. Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq noted a mismatch between PCGA figures and Punjab's Crop Reporting Service (CRS) data, which estimated Punjab's production at around 435,000 bales.

Haq attributed the discrepancy to the expansion of sugarcane cultivation in Punjab, driven by sugar mills, which has transformed the region into a sugarcane belt and eroded cotton cultivation. He called for restricting sugarcane farming in designated cotton-growing areas to restore cotton production. The PCGA report also highlighted a record 3.482 million tonnes of edible oil imports in 2025-26, up from 3.214 million tonnes the previous year.

Textile mills purchased 704,000 bales, exporters bought 3,400 bales, leaving 78,044 bales unsold. Only 231 ginning factories were operational across the country. Sindh's record 67 percent surge in cotton arrivals, despite recent monsoon rains, offset Punjab's decline. However, concerns remain about declining cotton acreage due to increased sugarcane cultivation, which may force the country to rely more on imports of cotton and edible oil.