Cotton Arrivals Up By 72% in February 2024

Pakistan’s cotton output increased by 72 percent year-on-year (YoY), according to the latest fortnightly data released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginner’s Association (PCGA). Until February 29, 2024, 8.393 million bales of cotton were received by ginners, still higher by 3.5 million bales over the 4.875 million bales reported in the same period last year. The province-wise breakdown reveals cotton arrivals in Punjab were 4.265 million bales, up 42.8 percent YoY from 2.99 million bales in SPLY. Sindh reported 4.115 million bales, a 119 percent YoY jump over 1.88 million bales last year. It is estimated that only 0.5 million more bales will be produced over the remaining FY24. Production will remain significantly lower by roughly 4.3 million bales for FY24, with a total output of 8.5 million bales expected against the initial and much bigger target of 12.8 million bales.