Cotton, often called “white gold,” is central to Pakistan’s agricultural and industrial landscape. Its cultivation traces back to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, making the region one of the earliest centers for cotton growing globally. This long history has embedded the crop deeply within the national identity and agricultural structure, where it remains a primary commodity. The plant serves as the largest raw material provider for the country’s massive textile sector, linking millions of farmers and industrial workers. The crop’s success or failure has historically mirrored the nation’s broader economic performance.
The Economic Backbone of Pakistan
The cotton-textile value chain makes a substantial contribution to the national economy. Its combined impact, from farming to finished goods, contributes approximately 8 to 10% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This sector is the dominant generator of foreign exchange, typically accounting for over 50% of the nation’s total export earnings.
The industry provides widespread employment across both rural and urban areas. The agricultural side alone engages an estimated 1.5 million farmers, many of whom operate on small landholdings. The entire textile sector employs nearly 10 million workers, representing a major portion of the country’s industrial workforce. This extensive network solidifies cotton’s position as a major source of livelihood for a significant portion of the population.
Pakistan consistently ranks among the top five global cotton producers and is a major consumer of the fiber, given its extensive domestic processing capacity. The country holds a substantial share in the world market for cotton yarn. This dual role as a major producer and consumer underscores the crop’s importance, as it supplies the raw material for the largest industrial sector while simultaneously driving international trade performance.
Major Growing Regions and Cultivation Practices
Cotton cultivation in Pakistan is concentrated along the Indus River basin, primarily within the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Punjab is the dominant producer, contributing around 70% of the total national output, with key districts like Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan forming the core cotton belt. Sindh province accounts for a significant remaining share, with cotton grown in districts such as Sanghar and Benazirabad.
The crop is generally sown during the Kharif period, which corresponds to the monsoon months starting from April or May. Cotton is a sub-tropical plant that requires specific climatic conditions, including a long, frost-free period, high temperatures during the growing phase, and relatively dry weather during harvesting. The vast, fertile alluvial soils and the semi-arid climate of the region are naturally well-suited for its growth.
Cultivation is heavily dependent on the extensive canal irrigation system fed by the Indus River, as cotton is a water-intensive crop. Farmers commonly use a range of seed varieties, with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton dominating the landscape, covering over 95% of the cultivated area since its adoption in the early 2000s. Standard practices often involve deep plowing, laser leveling of the land for efficient water distribution, and the application of fertilizers to optimize yields in the typically alkaline soils.
The Supply Chain from Field to Fabric
Once the cotton bolls are harvested, the raw material enters the industrial supply chain that transforms the fiber into finished goods. The first post-harvest step is ginning, a mechanical process that separates the raw cotton lint from the seeds and foreign matter. Pakistan’s industrial base includes nearly 1,000 ginneries, which prepare the clean fiber for the next stage of processing.
The cotton seeds removed during ginning are crushed by oil expellers to produce cottonseed oil, used for edible oil and vegetable ghee production. The remaining cake is utilized as high-protein animal feed. The separated lint then moves to the spinning units, where it is twisted into various counts of yarn.
Pakistan possesses an integrated textile sector, including hundreds of spinning mills and weaving units that convert the yarn into grey fabric. This fabric then undergoes processing stages like bleaching, dyeing, printing, and finishing. The final stage involves garment manufacturing, where the fabric is cut and sewn into finished products like apparel and home textiles, linking the rural farmer to the global consumer market.
Environmental and Agricultural Pressures
The cotton sector is facing environmental and agricultural challenges that threaten its future stability. Climate change has introduced volatile weather patterns, including extreme heat waves that stress the plants and devastating floods. This unpredictability exacerbates existing issues like water scarcity, as cotton’s high water requirement clashes with decreasing water availability from the Indus River system.
A major biotic stress is the increasing resistance of pests, particularly the Pink Bollworm, to the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton varieties. The widespread use of first-generation Bt cotton has led to the evolution of resistance in the pest, necessitating the use of more insecticides and leading to significant yield losses. This issue highlights the urgent need for improved seed technology, such as the introduction of newer, dual-toxin Bt varieties that can overcome the pest’s evolved defenses.
Farmers struggle with high input costs and market volatility. The national focus on water-intensive, competing crops like sugarcane in traditional cotton zones has distorted the agricultural landscape and created an environment more conducive to pest proliferation. Addressing these complex pressures requires a concerted effort to promote better agricultural practices, invest in climate-resilient seed technology, and implement water conservation techniques to ensure the long-term viability of the crop.