Floods and severe rains significantly hinder Pakistan’s cotton imports. According to industry data, in August 2022—the first month of the marketing year 2022–23—arrivals decreased by 14.04 percent. The industry predicts that there may be a deficit of 40 lakh 170 kg bales this season due to decreased arrivals in the upcoming month as well.
The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) reported that 15,39,710 bales of cotton arrived in August 2022, which is the first report on cotton arrival for the new marketing year. 17,91,125 bales were delivered in the same month last year. As a result, the arrival in August 2022 was 2,51,415 bales (14.04%) less than in the previous year.
The effects of the floods and heavy rains in August and earlier months are visible in the state-by-state arrival report. The amount of cotton that arrived in the Sindh province, which was the area most impacted by the floods, was 8,35,717 bales in August 2022 as opposed to 12,45,782 bales during the same month previous year. It demonstrates that the arrival fell by 4,10,065 bales (32.92 per cent).
On the other side, Punjab, where floods and rains had little of an influence, saw a 29.09% higher arrival of cotton. In August 2022, there were 7,03,993 bales of cotton arriving, compared to 5,45,343 bales at the same time period the previous season.
However, the arrival of cotton is generally in very bad shape in Pakistan because the crop was buried beneath several feet of precipitation that persisted for weeks rather than days. The crop has virtually little chance of surviving as a result. When the cotton crop had reached maturity and was ready for harvest, floods had swept the nation.
