• Industry says 500 ginning factories, over 150 textile mills closed
• Ginners allege imported inputs meant for re-export are being sold locally
asserted
inputs → say → export
Cotton arrivals at ginning factories rose 7.53 per cent year-on-year to 4.08 million bales by Oct 15, but the domestic cotton and textile industries are facing a deepening crisis, with around 500 ginning factories, over 150 textile mills and nearly half of the country’s power looms reportedly lying idle.
uncertain
half → gin → looms
Industry representatives have attributed the crisis to rising production costs and alleged misuse of the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS), under which imported yarn and fabric are reportedly being sold in the domestic market instead of being re-exported.
uncertain
yarn → attribute → market
According to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), arrivals reached 4,081,265 bales by Oct 15, up 285,628 bales from 3,795,637 bales a year earlier.
uncertain
arrivals → accord → bales
Punjab recorded arrivals of 1.64m bales, up 7.79pc, while Sindh’s arrivals increased 7.35pc to 2.44m bales.
asserted
arrivals → record → bales
Bahawalnagar led Punjab with 418,750 bales, followed by Bahawalpur with 294,606, Dera Ghazi Khan 236,514, Rahim Yar Khan 169,949 and Layyah 122,327.
asserted
Bahawalnagar → lead → 294,606
In Sindh, Sanghar topped the list with 1.14m bales, followed by Sukkur with 264,500 bales, Naushehro Feroze 223,200 and Khairpur 213,900.
asserted
Sanghar → top → bales
Textile mills had purchased around 3.45m bales and exporters 97,000 bales, leaving 531,530 bales unsold.
asserted
mills → purchase → bales
Arrivals during the preceding fortnight totalled 872,863 bales.
asserted
Arrivals → precede → bales
However, Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq warned that adverse weather could leave national production below initial estimates.
uncertain
weather → warn → estimates
He also pointed to a discrepancy between PCGA figures and those of the Punjab Crop Reporting Service, which put provincial production at 2.983m bales against the PCGA’s 1.638m bales in arrivals by Oct 15.
asserted
which → point → Oct
Mr Haq said the alleged misuse of the EFS, coupled with rising production costs, had undermined the domestic industry.
asserted
misuse → say → industry
He cited estimates that 40m to 50m metres of fabric had been imported from China alone under the scheme, while exports had shown little corresponding growth.
asserted
exports → cite → growth
Figures released by the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) showed man-made yarn imports rising from 3,056 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025-26 to 12,773 tonnes in the corresponding quarter of 2026-27.
asserted
imports → release → 2026
Man-made fabric imports increased from 660 tonnes to 8,628 tonnes over the same period.
asserted
imports → make → period
Mr Haq alleged that some imports intended for re-export were instead being sold locally, where an 18pc sales tax applied, putting domestic manufacturers at a disadvantage.
asserted
tax → allege → disadvantage
Aptma has welcomed Customs action against alleged misuse of the scheme and called for restrictions on imports of man-made yarn and fabric under the EFS.
asserted
Aptma → welcome → EFS
It said around 500 ginning factories and more than 150 textile mills had closed, while nearly half of the country’s power looms were inactive.
asserted
half → say → looms
Sajid Mahmood, head of the Transfer of Technology Department at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, said cotton revival required policies focused not only on production but also on farmers’ profitability, production costs, market access and lint quality.
asserted
policies → say → profitability
If cotton continued to offer lower returns than competing crops, farmers could reduce acreage in the next season, he warned.
uncertain
he → continue → season
With 15 to 20 days of picking remaining, he urged farmers to follow agricultural experts’ advice to protect yields and quality.
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he → remain → yields
The CCRI has recommended a spray containing 2kg of urea per 100 litres of water in fields with eight to 10 green bolls per plant to encourage boll opening.
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CCRI → recommend → opening
Farmers should also monitor pink bollworm infestation, pick mature bolls promptly and harvest in dry weather to prevent contamination.
asserted
Farmers → monitor → contamination
Mr Mahmood said the success of cotton revival should be measured by farmers’ net income per acre, not merely the volume of arrivals at ginning factories.
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success → say → factories
Karachi Cotton Brokers Forum leader Naseem Usman urged the government not only to announce a cotton support price but also to devise a procurement mechanism in case market prices fell below the support level.
asserted
prices → urge → level
He hoped that the undocumented cotton business would see a decline this year due to strict government measures and might lead to some increase in the overall cotton production.
uncertain
business → hop → production
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