Sindh’s cotton ginning sector has experienced an unprecedented surge in the 2025-26 season, fueled by record purchases from Punjab and Balochistan, marking a historic shift in Pakistan’s cotton industry.
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Data from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) show that the number of active ginning factories in Sindh rose sharply over recent years. From 31 factories operational at the end of 2023, the figure increased to 67 by the end of 2024 and reached a record 82 by December 2025.
Traditionally, Sindh’s major cotton zones, including Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Umerkot, and Sanghar, began sowing cotton in February-March, with the ginning season running from June to October-November. Punjab-based ginners would typically purchase cotton from Sindh during this period.
However, over the past two to three years, Sindh ginners have increasingly bought large quantities of high-quality cotton from Punjab — particularly Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, and Vehari — as well as from Balochistan. This trend has contributed to the continuous rise in active ginning factories in Sindh, while the number of active units in Punjab declined from 210 in 2023 to 140 by 2025.
By December 2025, Punjab’s ginning factories had processed 2.541 million bales of cotton, whereas Sindh received 2.893 million bales, including 179,000 bales from Balochistan.
Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq noted that many Sindh factories are mixing high- and medium-quality cotton, enabling textile mills to procure lint at lower prices. This has sustained demand and pushed cotton prices up by Rs200–300 per maund over the past week. Premium-quality cotton prices remain around Rs16,000 per maund.
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Haqq also highlighted concerns over unverified reports that some Sindh ginners are blending high-quality cotton from Punjab and Balochistan with waste cotton, prompting complaints from industry stakeholders.