Weekly cotton prices in Pakistan fluctuated by over 500 Pakistani rupees ($1.76) in different markets before August 11, 2025, amid falling production.
Diverse hubs from Sindh in the country’s southeast to Punjab in the northwest preempted these wide pricing differences.
Punjab’s rate per maund (37 to 40 kg) was 16,000-16,500 rupees ($56.16-57.56) while Sindh’s 16,000-16,400 rupees ($56.16-57.54).
Karachi capped the spot rate at 16,300 rupees ($57.21) a maund, similar to that in the western province of Baluchistan.
Seed cotton or “Phutti” also espoused a similar range as ginning cotton, albeit below the record 18,600 rupees ($66.06)/maund of July 2024.
Production Downturn
The pricing gulf partially owes to low harvests in the 2024-25 season adrift a sharp acreage decline.
Regarding production, estimates show that the world sold 39,100 bales of cotton in the 2024-25 period.
Three-quarters of the global exports were by Vietnam at 27,100 bales (155 kg apiece) while Pakistan finished third with 5,800 bales.
For the 2025-26 market year, analysts expect a 30% decline in output in the south Asia country. The projection has even made the national government remove levies and other surcharges on ginneries.
Weather vagaries have also slowed the production pace, which by August 1 had reached 593,821 bales versus 844,257 bales in August 2024.
The major reason for all this is a sharp decline in the cotton area, by 44% between 2010 and 2024.
According to the Nation, cotton’s share in national crop acreage has dropped from 14% to 7.9% in 1 1/2 decades.
A notable escapee is Baluchistan province, where cotton acreage improved from 1% to 9% between 2010 and 2024.
With such happenings, it is no wonder then that markets in Pakistan are recording sharp cotton price variations. The statistics below extend the story via a candid look at national and provincial production.
Pakistan Cotton and Market Statistics
Pakistan is a top 5 ginned cotton and unginned cotton-producing nation, worldwide. The country also defines international markets as the third biggest exporter, besides being a major importer of cotton. While exports clock $3.5 billion (2021) a year, imports reach $2.86 billion (2022). Cotton marketing in any given year depends on the production and ginning cycles, which see significant annual variations. According to the FAOSTAT, both production and acreage of unginned cotton seed has been fluctuating yearly, per the table below.
| Year | Production [tonnes] | Cultivated Area [ha] |
| 2023 | 4,911,873 | 2,423,688 |
| 2022 | 2,409,642 | 2,143,605 |
| 2021 | 4,096,106 | 1,936,969 |
| 2020 | 3,454,334 | 2,078,899 |
| 2019 | 4,480,230 | 2,517,287 |
What is the total production volume of ginned lint cotton in Pakistan?
Pakistan averages between 0.8 and 1.5 million of processed lint cotton each year. In the 2019-22 period, production peaked in 2019 at 1,556,052 tonnes and hit rock bottom in 2022 at 835,101 tonnes.
Which Pakistani regions have the most cotton area?
In 2024, Punjab province led national cotton acreage with a 59% share while Sindh and Baluchistan claimed 28% and 13%, respectively.