03/12/2025
By Sajid Mahmood
According to the latest report released today by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) the country’s total cotton arrivals stood at 5,133,620 bales as of 30 November 2025 showing a decline of 57,105 bales compared to 5,190,725 bales received during the same period last year reflecting an overall decrease of 1.10 percent. The provincial outlook presents a mixed picture. Sindh performed relatively better and received 2,784,373 bales this year an increase of 53,332 bales over last year’s 2,731,041 bales. Punjab however recorded arrivals of 2,349,247 bales showing a decline of 110,437 bales or 4.49 percent compared to last year. These latest figures paint a serious and discouraging picture of the cotton situation.
Multiple factors lie behind the low cotton production. The foremost issue is the absence of a support price which deprives farmers of adequate profitability and compels them to shift toward more lucrative crops such as sugarcane and rice. Climate change extreme heat unpredictable rainfall and prolonged drought continue to negatively affect yields. Biological threats have further aggravated the situation. Pests particularly whitefly and pink bollworm have caused severe damage. This scenario highlights the urgent need to introduce modern pest resistant and genetically improved cotton varieties to safeguard the crop and improve productivity.
Regarding stock positions a total of 667,257 bales remain unsold including 509,830 pressed bales and 157,427 unginned bales. So far 4,466,363 bales have been sold to textile mills traders and exporters compared to 4,513,478 bales sold during the same period last year. During the current fortnight arrivals stood at 277,115 bales which is lower than last year’s 296,777 bales. At present 385 ginning factories are operational nationwide including 206 in Punjab and 179 in Sindh. These figures clearly indicate that the country’s textile industry requires more than 15 million bales annually and low domestic production forces Pakistan to spend billions of dollars on cotton imports placing immense pressure on the national exchequer.
To address this situation it is essential to formulate solid and implementable national policies that provide guidance to farmers on support price mechanisms crop prioritization substitution and climate related risks. Such policies at both provincial and federal levels will help increase cotton production and ensure a stable supply of raw material for the textile sector.
Pakistan’s research institutions particularly the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) urgently require substantial investment in modern technologies genetic research pest resistant seed development and advanced agronomic practices. Farmers must be provided with improved seed pest proof varieties and modern cultivation techniques. In this context the merger between PCCC and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has become even more important so that research resources can be consolidated financial support strengthened and a national strategy for modern cotton research and crop improvement developed. The merger process must be completed as early as possible to bring coherence to national research efforts.
Pakistan’s cotton industry has been under continuous pressure for several years. The solution to this crisis lies only in joint efforts by the government research institutions and the private sector focused on modern genetic varieties investment active research and a strong policy framework. Such measures can enhance domestic production and significantly reduce the burden of cotton imports on the national treasury. This is the time to restore cotton as the backbone of the national economy so that Pakistan can maintain its competitiveness in the global market and provide sustainable raw material to the textile industry.