Sindh maintains its position as the primary driver of national cotton output, followed by Punjab as the second-largest producing province, while Balochistan continues its emerging role in the national supply chain. According to the latest consolidated statement from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) as of October 15, 2026, which was released on Sunday, Sindh, excluding Balochistan, led the national cotton market with a total arrival volume of 2.262 million bales.
Punjab follows as the second-largest producing province, delivering 1.638 million bales to ginning factories. Meanwhile, Balochistan contributed a larger volume than last year, registering arrivals of 0.180 million bales.
While Balochistan's figures are consolidated under Sindh's regional tally in summary lines, isolated district-level data shows that Balochistan posted the highest year-on-year percentage expansion among all three regions. Together, the three provinces generated a combined national arrival total of 4,081,265 bales, reflecting a net volume increase of 0.285 million bales over the corresponding period in 2025, showing 7.53 percent improvement, largely due to dry and hot weather and relatively good prices in the domestic cotton market.
In percentage terms, Sindh dominates national cotton production, accounting for 55.43% of total crop arrivals as of October 15, 2026. Punjab holds the second-largest market share at 40.15%, maintaining a stable year-on-year footprint relative to national output growth.
Balochistan accounts for the remaining 4.43% share of national arrivals. Notably, Balochistan demonstrated the strongest growth rate among all regions, expanding its output by 30.36% year-on-year and increasing its national market share by 0.78 percentage points, up from 3.65% in 2025.
As far as respective share movement in total production is concerned, outperforming both Punjab and Sindh in expansion rate, Balochistan expanded its national share from 3.65% in 2025 to 4.43%. Punjab maintains a consistent national position because its growth rate of +7.79% mirrored total national growth of +7.53%, leading to its share of national production remaining nearly flat at 40.15% vs 40.05% last year.
On an overall basis, this data underscores Sindh's dominant production capacity and Balochistan's rapid expansion, forcing a structural realignment of the sector away from its traditional Punjab-centric base. This regional divide is starkest at the district level as well.
Sanghar, Sindh has emerged as the undisputed top cotton-producing district this season, delivering a massive 1.137 million bales. In comparison, Punjab's top district, Bahawalnagar, has produced 0.418 million bales.
Sanghar alone accounts for nearly half of Sindh's total production. The latest fortnightly report suggests that peak arrival season is now underway, with a fortnightly flow of 0.872 million bales.
Textile mills have aggressively bought 86.7% of arrivals, and total unsold stock is 15.7% lower than last year, providing strong support to the market. Quality is also expected to improve as winter sets in, with cold-weather picking delivering better staple length.
The quality gap is already visible, with a difference of Rs 2,000 per maund between low-grade and high-quality cotton, which could widen to Rs 2,500 as buyers continue to pay a premium for better grades. As prices are attractive, if weather permits, cotton arrivals could be healthy in the upcoming fortnightly flow.