Naseem Usman Published April 20, 2026 Updated about 3 hours ago KARACHI: Pakistan’s cotton market witnessed a significant price surge this week, with rates for standard quality cotton rising by Rs1,000 to Rs1,500 per maund, although overall trading activity remained subdued. On the international front, New York Cotton futures also posted gains, with contract prices surpassing the psychological threshold of 80 US cents, reaching their highest level in 22 months. The Federal Committee on Agriculture has set a cotton production target of 9.64 million bales for the 2026-27 season, which are 1.46 million bales lower than the previous year’s target of 11.1 million bales. Meanwhile, the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) has issued fresh guidelines to help farmers achieve higher cotton yields in the upcoming season. At an important conference held at Sindh Agriculture University, experts described Pakistan’s cotton crisis as severe and called for the formulation of a unified national strategy to address it. Syed Nadeem Shah, Senior Vice President of the Sindh Abadgar Board, identified substandard seeds, climate change, imbalanced use of fertilisers, and ineffective pesticides as the primary causes of farmers’ financial distress. He also criticised the persistent absence of stable agricultural policies and reliable agricultural data, and proposed the formation of a Breeders Advisory Board comprising retired agricultural experts. The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has demanded a reduction in scanning charges levied on imported cargo. In a separate development, the Karachi Cotton Exchange building has remained sealed since December 12, 2025, following an action by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) with the assistance of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). As a result, the daily cotton spot rate a critical market benchmark has not been issued, leaving the market in a state of continued uncertainty. The local cotton market witnessed a significant rise in quality cotton prices during the past week, with rates climbing by Rs1,000 to Rs1,500 per maund. Industry observers attribute this sharp increase to two primary factors. First,…