Sindh Takes Lead in Cotton Arrivals as Punjab Records Decline

Sindh has emerged as the country’s largest cotton supplier for the current season, capturing more than 51 percent of all arrivals at ginning factories, according to the latest data from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association. The PCGA figures show that national arrivals reached 5.133 million bales as of November 30, reflecting a marginal 1.1 percent dip from last year’s 5.19 million bales.  This decline is largely linked to Punjab’s reduced output, which has continued its downward trend. Sindh provided the strongest support to the national tally by securing 2.610 million bales, an increase from last year’s 2.575 million bales.  This pushed Sindh’s share to 50.85 percent, crossing the symbolic majority threshold. Districts such as Sanghar led the surge with 1.23 million bales, followed by Sukkur and Khairpur. In contrast, Punjab’s arrivals dropped to 2.349 million bales compared with 2.459 million bales last year. This lowered its share to 45.76 percent.  Officials noted that the shortfall is even more pronounced when compared with Punjab’s much larger cultivation area. The steepest slowdowns were observed in Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Bahawalnagar. Balochistan also showed marginal but notable improvement, reaching 173,790 bales compared with last year’s 155,800 bales. Although its share remains small, the growth adds stability to the national supply. The shift in provincial performance underscores a broader change in the country’s cotton landscape.  Sindh and Balochistan have helped cushion the impact of Punjab’s production losses, which experts attribute to weather disruptions, pest damage and reduced per acre yield. Industry players are now facing a tightening supply situation, especially in the absence of any intervention from the Trading Corporation of Pakistan.  With lint prices under pressure and overall arrivals contracting, textile mills may need to plan timely imports to balance demand. Growers and ginning stakeholders have been advised to prepare for continued fluctuations in supply as the season progresses.