What the latest intake figures show
Cotton arrivals in Pakistan climbed 7.53 per cent from a year earlier, reaching 4,081,265 bales at ginneries by 15 October, according to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), the trade body that tracks how much kapas reaches ginning plants. That is 285,628 bales above the 3,795,637 recorded on the same date last season. The rise comes even as cotton arrivals in Pakistan meet a market where many processing plants are idle and mills say demand for local lint is under strain.
Punjab’s share stood at 1.64 million bales, a 7.79 per cent gain. Sindh delivered 2.44 million bales, up 7.35 per cent. In Punjab, Bahawalnagar led with 418,750 bales, ahead of Bahawalpur (294,606), Dera Ghazi Khan (236,514), Rahim Yar Khan (169,949) and Layyah (122,327). In Sindh, Sanghar alone accounted for 1.14 million bales, followed by Sukkur (264,500), Naushehro Feroze (223,200) and Khairpur (213,900).
Nationwide, 471 ginning plants were working. Textile mills had taken about 3.45 million bales and exporters roughly 97,000, leaving 531,530 still unsold. Intake over the prior two weeks was 872,863 bales.
Why mills say the squeeze is getting worse
Trade voices describe a textile industry crisis in Pakistan driven by higher production costs and alleged misuse of the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS)—a customs facility meant to let exporters bring in inputs for goods they will ship abroad. Ginners and mill owners claim some imported yarn and cloth entered under that facility is being sold inside Pakistan instead of being re-exported, undercutting local makers who face an 18 per cent sales tax on domestic sales.
Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq said the combination of cost pressure and alleged EFS abuse had hit domestic producers hard. He cited estimates that 40 million to 50 million metres of fabric had come in from China under the scheme, without a matching lift in exports. The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) published import data showing man-made yarn jumping from 3,056 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025-26 to 12,773 tonnes in the same quarter of 2026-27, while man-made fabric rose from 660 tonnes to 8,628 tonnes. Aptma said it supports Customs enforcement against misuse and wants tighter limits on man-made yarn and fabric brought in under EFS. It also put the idle tally at about 500 ginning factories, more than 150 textile mills, and close to half of the country’s power looms.
Crop figures and weather caution
Mr Haq also warned that bad weather could push final national output below early forecasts. He highlighted a gap between PCGA arrivals for Punjab—1.638 million bales by 15 October—and the Punjab Crop Reporting Service estimate of 2.983 million bales for the province. That cotton crop report gap remains unresolved in the material available; readers should treat both series as provisional until officials reconcile them.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- First quarter 2025-26: Aptma recorded 3,056 tonnes of man-made yarn and 660 tonnes of man-made fabric imports.
- First quarter 2026-27: The same categories rose to 12,773 tonnes and 8,628 tonnes respectively, per Aptma.
- Fortnight before 15 October 2026: Ginneries received 872,863 bales.
- 15 October 2026: PCGA put season arrivals at 4,081,265 bales (+7.53% year on year); 471 plants operating; 531,530 bales unsold.
- 19 October 2026: Industry leaders publicly linked plant closures to costs and alleged EFS diversion into the local market.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Is mausam kapas ki amad pichhle saal se zyada hai—lagbhag 4.08 million bales mid-October tak. Phir bhi kai ginning factories aur textile mills band batayi ja rahi hain. Industry ke mutabiq mehngai aur EFS ke under aane wale maal ki local sale se desi industry dab rahi hai. Aam khasidaron ke liye seedha matlab yeh hai ke zyada kapah aane ke bawajood mills kam chal rahi hain, is liye rozgar aur local maal ki demand dono pe dabaao hai.
