Pakistan cotton arrivals drop by 33%

Pakistan's cotton industry has experienced a substantial downturn in arrivals, plummeting to 5,367,334 bales as of December 15, a notable decrease from the 8,023,707 bales recorded during the same period last year.

A breakdown of the arrivals by region reveals that Sindh has received 2,773,385 bales — a significant decline from the 4,066,827 bales received during the same period last year. Similarly, Punjab has received 2,593,949 bales compared to 3,956,880 bales last year.

The textile sector has emerged as the largest consumer of cotton, having procured 4,706,714 bales to date. Meanwhile, exporters and traders have also made notable purchases, totaling 46,300 bales.

However, the country's total cotton stock stands at 614,320 bales, marginally lower than the previous year's stock of 647,711 bales.

A closer examination of the data reveals that the flow of cotton has been sluggish this year, with only 176,609 bales arriving in the last week, a significant decline from the 270,234 bales received during the same period last year.

Notwithstanding the decline in arrivals, the number of operational factories has remained steady, with 297 units currently in production. As a vital sector of Pakistan's economy, the cotton industry's decline in arrivals may have far-reaching implications for the country's textile exports.