LAHORE: The national cotton arrivals have reached 5.3 million bales, indicating a slight overall decrease of 1.23 per cent compared to the same timeframe last year, with Sindh clearly leading this season with an output of 2.85 million bales.
The latest consolidated report from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association (PCGA) indicates a changing scenario for the country’s once highly regarded ‘white gold’ concentrated in Punjab.
As of December 15, 2025, Sindh has established itself as the dominant force in the ongoing season, delivering 2.85 million bales to factories, up from 2.77 million bales in 2024. Sanghar continues to be the region’s powerhouse, contributing a substantial 1.25 million bales.
Noteworthy growth was observed in Nawabshah, which experienced a 56.16 per cent increase with 0.081 million bales compared to 0.052 million bales last year. Mirpur Khas also showed strong performance with a 24.51 per cent rise.
Punjab, however, has encountered a significant decline, with total arrivals falling to 2.45 million bales -- a 5.42 percent drop from last year’s 2.59 million bales. The most drastic decrease was seen in Lodhran, where arrivals fell by 74.59 per cent. Traditional centres like Bahawalpur, with 0.39 million bales, and Multan, with 0.04 million bales, also reported lower figures, decreasing by 9.74 per cent and 27.81 per cent respectively.
A positive note for Punjab is Dera Ghazi Khan, which has shown an upward trend with a 34.42 per cent increase to 0.31 million bales, and Rajanpur, where arrivals have doubled with a remarkable 108.74 per cent increase to 0.03 million bales.
Interestingly, Rahim Yar Khan, which used to be one of the top districts in cotton production, remains a major hub of silver fibre this season with the largest unsold stock in the country, totalling at 0.18 million bales.
The PCGA report emphasises active domestic trading in the textile sector. Of the total arrivals, 4.67 million bales have already been sold, with 4.49 million bales allocated to textile mills.Currently, the unsold stock is at 0.64 million bales, slightly above the 0.61 million bales recorded at the same time last year.
The ‘fortnightly flow’ -- the rate at which cotton is being delivered to the ginning factories -- is currently at 0.17 million bales, which is slightly slower than the 0.18 million bales recorded during the same period in 2024.
With 309 factories currently operational across the country, 163 in Punjab and 146 in Sindh, the industry is closely monitoring whether the late-season momentum in Sindh can eventually offset the gaps left by Punjab’s core districts. Had Punjab been able to retain its share of two-third production in national output, the national cotton availability would have been at much healthier level. Punjab’s cotton production has been continuously on the decline for the past several years. The provincial agriculture department’s push to enhance cotton output through early sowing this year could not yield positive results so far.
