• Surging reliance on duty-free imports to cost $5bn
• Steps needed to revive growers interest in cotton crop

LAHORE: Pakistan’s cotton industry is facing an alarming crisis as national production plunges to the second-lowest level in the country’s history, falling nearly 50 per cent short of the official target and 34pc below last year’s output, reveals the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Associa­tion (PCGA) final report for the crop season 2024-25 released on Monday.

Interestingly, despite this sharp production dec­line, approximately 365,000 bales of unsold cotton are stockpiled in ginning factories, sparking fears of an unprecedented reduction in cotton cultivation for the upcoming season.

For the first time, Sindh has surpassed Punjab in cotton production, a development attributed to record sugarcane cultivation in Punjab replacing cotton, combined with unfavourable weather conditions. According to PCGA figures, total cotton production stood at just 5.525 million bales. Punjab produced 2.718m bales and Sindh 2.807m bales—both showing a sharp decline from last year.

Purchasing activity in the domestic market has also plummeted as textile mills have acquired only 5.1m........

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