Pakistan's cotton arrival surges 71% in marketing year 2023-24

Traditionally, cotton influx begins in August annually. However, this year, it commenced in July due to early sowing and favourable weather conditions, positively impacting the cotton crop. This contrasts starkly with the previous year when heavy rains and floods severely affected cotton production in the main cotton-producing states. 

Data released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) on September 30, 2023, revealed that cotton arrival from July to September 2023 reached 50,25,282 bales. This signifies a surge of 20,89,129 bales compared to the 29,36,153 bales recorded in July to September 2022. The early onset of cotton arrival prompted the PCGA to release its second monthly report unusually in September, while last year's first monthly report, covering August 2022, was also released in September. 

The report also highlighted that the monthly cotton arrival for September 2023 stood at 19.85 lakh bales, significantly higher than the 7.49 lakh bales documented during the same period last year. 

A provincial breakdown of the data revealed that Sindh province recorded a 112 per cent increase in cotton arrival, reaching 29,55,849 bales in July-September 2023 compared to 13,90,521 bales in the same period of 2022. Meanwhile, Punjab witnessed a 33.89 per cent rise, with 20,69,433 bales arriving in the current season, a significant increase compared to the 15,45,632 bales during the same period last season. 

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)