Arrival of Sindh cotton outstrips flows from Punjab

LAHORE: The arrival of seed cotton from Sindh at ginning stage has surpassed flows from Punjab, according to the latest fortnightly report released on Sunday.

As per consolidated statement from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association detailing the cotton arrivals in factories across Pakistan as of August 15, 2024, seed cotton in Punjab province, the biggest contributor in silver fiber production in the country, were far lower compared to the Sindh province. The seed cotton arrivals in Punjab have faltered at 0.392 million bales at ginning stage, while in Sindh they were recorded at 0.682 million bales during the first fortnight of August 2024. Hence, a massive decline of 74 percent in flows have been witnessed in Punjab province where cotton was planted at double the area of Sindh.

However, Sindh has seen a decrease of 53.86 percent in cotton arrivals compared to last year’s flows in the corresponding period in the province while Punjab has seen a decrease of 38.32 percent in cotton arrivals compared to last year’s flow in the same period.

This year’s nationwide fortnightly flow has significantly been lower than last year’s corresponding data. The total cotton arrivals in Pakistan for the current year are 1.075 million bales, a significant decrease from last year’s total of 2.115 million bales, reflecting a 49.18 percent reduction.

The data indicates a substantial decrease in cotton arrivals and stock levels compared to the previous year. The total unsold stock of cotton has been reported at 0.068 million bales, compared to 0.189 million bales last year.

There have been significant drops in arrivals compared to last year, with the most significant reductions in districts like Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Sanghar, Khairpur, and Sukkur districts.

In Punjab, the cotton bales flow reported from Rahim Yar Khan this year has been just 6,321, compared to 23,607 last year, showing a decrease of 73.22 percent. The cotton bales’ arrival reported from Bahawalpur district this year are 28,305, compared to 48,746 last year, showing a decrease of 41.92 percent.

The cotton arrival data of various other important Punjab districts include Multan showing decrease of 41.24 percent, Dera Ghazi Khan 31.62 percent, Rajanpur 3.08 percent, Layyah 53.90 percent, Vehari 20.97 percent, Sahiwal 14.20 percent and Pakpattan 100 percent.

On the other hand, Sindh province shows steep decline if compared with last year’s corresponding flows. The cotton bales flow from Sanghar district, which is the biggest contributor from the Sindh province, was recorded at 0.522 million bales, compared to 0.999 million bales last year, showing a decrease of 47.78 percent.

The decline in cotton bales flow reported from other notable districts of Sindh this year compared to last year in percentage term include Sanghar 47.78 percent, Khairpur 51.21 percent, Naushero Feroze 55.36 percent, Sukkur 57.18 percent, Ghotki 52.97 percent, Mirpurkhas 43.69 percent, Shaheed Benazirabad 55.88 percent, and Hyderabad 54.98 percent.

It is worth mentioning here that Punjab is one of the major cotton-producing regions in the country. The cotton arrivals from Punjab are typically higher than Sindh due to the larger area under cultivation and better irrigation facilities. The quality of cotton from Punjab is generally considered to be better than that of Sindh.

Sindh is also a significant cotton producing region in the country. The cotton arrivals from Sindh are used to be lower compared to Punjab, primarily due to smaller land under cultivation and less efficient irrigation systems. However, this year, cotton flow from Sindh have overtaken Punjab’s arrival.

An official claimed that apart from other factors, wet conditions also hampered picking of cotton. He expressed the hope that cotton production out of Punjab province would show healthy trend in the days to come.