LAHORE: Cotton arrivals have stalled following an initial surge with the biweekly inflow decreases by 21 per cent as the national cotton sector’s recovery has decelerated.
According to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) consolidated report dated September 30, 2026, following an initial-season improvement, arrivals have returned nearly to the previous year’s level, with a reduced number of active ginneries. Cumulative arrivals reach 3.208 million bales, representing only a 0.163 million bale or 5.39 percent increase from 3.044 million bales during the corresponding period last year.
The modest headline growth masks an underlying deceleration. The current fortnight inflow stands at 0.819 million bales, down from 1.04 million bales in the corresponding period last year — a reduction of 0.22 million bales or 21.2 percent. This continues the pattern observed over the preceding couple of fortnights. The consistent reduction in biweekly flows indicates that following preliminary gains, new Phutti arrivals have stabilised and may decline further in coming weeks.
Ginning operations also reflect a less robust season. Presently, 459 mills are active throughout Pakistan, compared to 501 mills last year. Punjab operates 231 mills versus 246 previously, while Sindh and Balochistan combined operate 228 mills versus 255 last year.
Notably, Balochistan emerges as the standout performer this season in percentage growth of cotton arrivals. While Punjab expanded by 6.91 per cent and Sindh by merely 4.48 per cent, Balochistan achieved a 35.31 per cent increase — the nation’s highest provincial growth rate. Its arrivals climbed to 0.152 million bales from 0.112 million bales last year, a gain of 39,863 bales.
In terms of volume, Sindh continues to dominate with 1.840 million bales, excluding Balochistan, and Punjab with 1.214 million bales, though both provinces display a varied district-level performance with numerous districts experiencing contraction — such as Ghotki declining 44.39 per cent in Sindh and Rajanpur declining 61.23 per cent in Punjab. Balochistan, conversely, demonstrates widespread expansion despite operating only 16 mills, and its performance has enabled the combined Sindh and Balochistan aggregate to remain positive at 4.48 percent.
District-wise data shows a mixed picture. In Punjab, Bahawalnagar leads with 0.276 million bales, up 33.08 percent, followed by Bahawalpur with 0.198 million bales, up 25.9 per cent, and Dera Ghazi Khan with 0.193 million bales, up 43.04 per cent. However, Khanewal is down 28.46 per cent to 76,906 bales, Rajanpur is down 61.23 per cent to 11,500 bales, and DG Khan’s neighbour Muzaffargarh is down 67.29 per cent to 1,700 bales. Lodhran and Layyah have more than doubled.
In Sindh, Sanghar remains the cotton capital with 0.984 million bales, though growth is just 1.51 per cent. Khairpur is up 40.48 percent to 0.158 million bales, Sargodha in Sindh context, Naushahro Feroze is up 25.25 per cent and Nawabshah is up 8.88 per cent. Hyderabad is down 13.45 per cent to 102,753 bales and Mirpur Khas is down 26.98 per cent to 50,308 bales. Ghotki is almost flat at 42,600 bales, down 44.39 per cent from last year.
Despite the overall plateau, mill buying remains strong. Of the total arrivals, 2.931 million bales have been pressed. Textile mills have bought 2.726 million bales and exporters/traders have lifted 96,600 bales, taking total sales to 2.823 million bales.
As a result, total unsold stock has fallen sharply to 0.384 million bales, including 0.107 million pressed bales and 0.276 million bales equivalent of Phutti. Last year, unsold stock at this stage was 0.539 bales. The 28.7 per cent drop in unsold inventory means ginners are holding less cotton than last year, even with higher arrivals.
