Pakistan 2017-18 cotton crop seen rising 20% on year

Pakistan’s cotton output in 2017-18 (Aug-Jul) is estimated at 9.20 mln bales (1 bale = 480 pound), 19.5% higher on year. Production is expected to rise due to better returns from the commodity, coupled with government incentives for cotton cultivation. The estimate is also slightly higher than USDA’s official production estimate of 9.15 mln bales. Export of the commodity is also likely to rise to 300,000 bales in 2017-18, way higher than 125,000 bales last year.