Punjab cotton production data shows discrepancy

LAHORE: The fortnightly ginners’ seed cotton arrival data has exposed stark discrepancies in Punjab statistics.

The inconsistency in seed cotton flow was discovered in the consolidated statement issued by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association (PCGA) on Saturday, showing cotton arrivals in various districts of Pakistan as of 31st July 2024. It provides detailed statistics on cotton arrivals, pressing, sales, and leftover stock for each district. The data also includes a comparison with the previous year’s figures and the percentage changes.

The PGCA data stands in sharp difference to the Punjab government’s data. It declared Punjab’s total arrivals at 0.292 million bales, showing a decrease of 0.096 million bales or 24.71 percent from the corresponding period of last year. In sheer contrast, according to the report by the Crop Reporting Service of the Punjab Agriculture Department, 0.450 million bales were produced registering a 4.2 percent increase in the produce. This was an increment to the last year’s produce that stood at 0.432 million bales in 2023-24,

On the other hand, the PGCA data indicated a reduced cotton production from Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Khanewal, Layyah, Vehari, Faisalabad, and other districts reported a decrease in arrivals compared to the previous year. Whereas only Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur Districts showed an increase in cotton arrivals. The total arrivals in Punjab were 292,555 bales, which was a drop from 388,568 bales last year, marking a shortage of 24.71pc. As per PCGA data, total cotton arrivals in Pakistan for the last fortnight of the current year are 0.844 million bales, which shows a decrease of 0.584 million bales or 40.90 percent from the previous year.

Against Punjab’s poor performance, Sindh’s cotton production stood at 0.551 million bales for the fortnight. This however was a decrease of 0.488 million bales or 46.96 percent from last year’s same period. All districts of Sindh province experienced a significant decrease against the previous year. Sanghar achieved the highest cotton production of 0.427 million bales. Despite this, it was a reduction of 40.73 percent from the previous year’s fortnightly flow. There is a significant decrease in the total number of cotton arrivals and unsold stock compared to the previous year. The Punjab Agriculture Department’s latest report reported a mixed trend on the health of the plants. Up till now average estimated cotton boll weight in North Punjab is 3.77 grams as compared to 3.99 grams last year (5.5% decrease) whereas in South Punjab the boll weight is 3.44 grams as compared to 3.42 grams last year (0.6% increase). The next interim cotton statistics report will be released on August 15, 2024 by the Agriculture Department, Punjab. It may be noted that the cotton-to-apparel value chain is the major source of foreign exchange for Pakistan. The first stage of the process is the production of raw cotton, which is classified as agriculture. Next comes ginning, during which cotton lint and cotton fibres are produced.