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LAHORE : Pakistan’s cotton sector is facing growing pressure from weak supplies and rising production costs, with both growers and textile manufacturers struggling to remain sustainable, prominent cotton processor Malik Talat Sohail said on Saturday.
Sohail said overall cotton arrivals this season had shown only a modest recovery, while fresh arrivals during the past fortnight remained lower than the corresponding period last year. Ginning activity had also slowed, with fewer factories operating across the country.
He said the main concern was not offtake but the availability and sustainability of cotton supplies.
Sohail said the price outlook was also not encouraging, as the international cotton market was showing no bullish trend, keeping export margins under pressure. At the domestic level, the spinning and weaving industry was facing a sharp increase in production costs due to higher energy, financing and logistics expenses, with many units nearing closure.
He described cotton as a declining crop that urgently required government support. He warned that continued neglect could further weaken the country’s major foreign exchange-earning crop and its linked textile chain, affecting the wider economy, employment and circulation of money in rural areas.
Linking the cotton sector with macroeconomic stability, Sohail said neglecting a dollar-earning sector while national debt continued to rise could increase economic vulnerabilities. He called for immediate policy measures covering farm support, pest management, ginning modernisation and competitive energy supplies for textile mills.
Sohail warned that without a comprehensive support package, the recent improvement in cotton arrivals could remain seasonal and short-lived. He urged the government to take timely measures to prevent further decline in the sector.
