Yarn in Pakistan has many varieties and is derived from plenteous sources, the most salient being cotton. Pakistan is the 4th largest producer of cotton in the world giving the country the inherent advantage of being one of the biggest textile exporters around the globe.
After the import of sundry state of the art spinning machinery, Pakistan has managed to bring up the production of yarn over the past decade and has seen up to 40% volumetric growth in textile exports in the current fiscal year.
As of February 23rd, 2020, Pakistan’s textile sector has jumped to full capacity to increase exports during the coronavirus epidemic. All Pakistan Textile Mills Association and the government has set an export target of $24-25 billion this fiscal year (July-2019 to June 2020) for textiles including cotton, acrylic and wool yarn.
It goes without saying, Pakistan has a flourishing industry for yarn products and in this article we’ll be introducing you to the industry and its ascendency to top world exports as well as the problems faced by manufacturers in the process.
History Of Yarn manufacturing In Pakistan
Cotton, commonly known as “white gold”, is an important cash crop, it comprising a total of two thirds of the Pakistan’s total export earnings. Cotton yarn is one of the most significant and widely used and exported types of yarn in the country and has been widely available and used for generations.
Pakistan has successfully established a reliable image over the years through the export of its high-quality variant and thus, relies heavily on the crop’s export. However, the initial success of cotton yarn products was short-lived as the crop started attracting problems with growth and processing.
Types of cotton yarn produced by yarn manufacturers in Pakistan:
Pakistan has several manufacturing industries specializing in various types of cotton yarn production. Since cotton yarn is very diverse in terms of quality, shape and size, it is weaved through special machines in bulk orders. Some of the types of yarn produced are listed below.
Cotton Combed Yarn – A type of ring spun yarn used for knitting or weaving.
Cotton Combed Compact Yarn – A compact contamination free product made from Pakistani and Indian cotton used for weaving and knitting.
Cotton Carded Ring Spun Yarn – Made from Pakistani, Indian and Egyptian cotton for knitting.
BCI Cotton Yarn – High quality Carded & Combed BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) Cotton Yarn.
Cotton Siro Yarn – A type of yarn sold in Chinese Markets for the production of Towels and Denim fabric. This type of yarn has low hairiness, high CLSP and low IPI.
Cotton Open End Yarn – Made from Indian and Pakistani cotton, this type of yarn is used to manufacture work-wear, sportswear, towels, active wear, apparel, upholstery, denim fabric etc.
Organic Cotton Combed Yarn – Compact knitting and weaving yarn.
Cotton Combed Dyed Yarn – This type of yarn is used for Socks Knitting, Towel Weaving, Apparels, and Sweater Knitting etc.
Cotton Gassed Mercerized Yarn – High quality 100% cotton combed Gassed Mercerized Yarn in Raw White, dyed and Mélange.
Pakistani spinning mills are competitive in the following 100 % Cotton yarn counts: 7s Carded, 8s Carded, 10s Carded, 12s Carded, 16s Carded, 20s Carded, 21s Carded and 20/2 Carded
Advantages to sourcing yarn from Pakistan: Yarn imports from Pakistan China and the European Union is duty-free.
Top 10 Buyers of Pakistani Yarn:
- China
- Bangladesh
- Turkey
- Portugal
- Japan
- South Korea
- Italy
- USA
- Hong Kong
- Germany
Top Exporters of Pakistani Yarn:
- Indus Group
- Mahmood Group
- Nishat Mills Limited
- Nishat Chunian Limited
- Riaz Textile Mills Limited
- Hussain Mills Limited
- Fazal Group
- Gadoon Textile Mills Limited
- Umer Group
- Tata Group
- Eastern Spinning Mills Limited
Problems with Cotton Crop in Pakistan
There are a few significant factors which have contributed to Pakistan’s successive decline in cotton crop output over the years. They include seed quality, disease, pests, weed and water.
Seed quality – The cotton seed is a mix of varieties which needs constant improvement and genetic modification for steady and increased production but due to insufficient budget, the current seed quality hasn’t been monitored for its longevity and has become very poor as the seeds are not properly germinated. (Central Cotton Research Institute).
Disease – Diseases which hit cotton crops include root rot, the leaf curl virus, cotton leaf mosaic virus, boll rot and bacterial blight to name a few. These diseases have been hitting huge fields of cotton crop for the past few years, thereby decreasing output tremendously and requiring the country to have to resort to cotton import from countries like India and China to meet local and export demand.
Pest attacks –More than 1300 species of insects attack cotton crops in Pakistan every year which include Cotton leaf folder, Pink boll worm, American boll worm, Army worm, Dusky cotton bug, Thrips, Jassid, and whitefly. Pest attacks can be deadly for cotton crop and decrease yield dramatically.
Water shortages –With Pakistan’s diverse topology, the alterations of weather in arid areas of the country have adversely effected the growth of cotton crop over the years. Even though cotton crops are extremely drought resistant, extreme changes in weather have led to a major waste of cotton crop over the years and has caused significant damage to its total output.
As a result, with the declining output of cotton crop in Pakistan, by products like yarn have taken a significant hit in production and export. Needless to say, as the quality of cotton declines, so does the quality of the spun yarn.
Export price of yarn made in Pakistan
The average unit price of Pakistani cotton yarn in the international market is significantly lower than its competitors. Two major factors have their hand to play in this statistic.
The first is quality. As cotton bales reach manufacturers, inadequate storage and low standards of grinning leads to the production of contaminated yarn that is sold at lower prices than its competitors.
The second factor is product mixing. As cotton is harvested in bulk, it is stored together without giving realization to the different varieties of cotton in the bulk. As these different qualities of cotton are allowed to mix, it leads to production of coarse and medium count yarn.
Quality Control in Yarn Manufacturing in Pakistan
Quality control is a top priority in established manufacturing factories of yarn. TATA Pakistan proudly boats ownership of the prestigious USTERIZED certificate awarded by USTER technology, them being the 10th in the world and the first firm within Pakistan to attain it.
Climate control is also a priority within the factories as raw cotton crop is susceptible to damage in extreme temperatures. Therefore, most firms strive to establish a climate control system according to the ISO 139 standard.
The companies also invest heavily in research and development to further improve the quality of their products in the competitive market within and outside of the country.
List Of Cotton Yarn Manufacturers in Pakistan:
There are many industries manufacturing yarn in bulk quantities with state of the art equipment and factory establishments within Pakistan.
Some established yarn manufacturers include TATA Pakistan, HAREEM textiles, Nafeesa Textiles, Moiz Textile, Shoaib Salman textile mills, Ejaz Spinning, Reliance Cotton Spinning Mills, Chenab Textile Mills Zahidjee Textile Mills and many more.
We’ll be talking about some of these manufacturers in detail below.
TATA PAKISTAN
TATA Pakistan is one of the most competitive textile manufacturing firms in Pakistan with companies like TATA TEXTILE MILLS LTD, ISLAND TEXTILE MILLS LTD AND SALFI TEXTILE MILLS LTD under their name. They pride themselves on their flawless and fine quality yarn products made in well equipped, state of the art manufacturing facilities. Performing processes like ginning, spinning and weaving, TATA Pakistan manufactures fine quality yarn and exports to the following countries;
- China
- Japan
- Hong Kong
- Korea
- Portugal
- Italy
- Germany
- Belgium
- France
- Switzerland
- Canada
- South America
- Taiwan
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Turkey
- Bangladesh
Nafeesa Textiles
With the present annual production capacity of their production facility being 8.11 million Kgs, Nafeesa textiles pride themselves with owning state of the art machinery equipped with 33,936 ring spindles to produce fine quality yarn. Almost 85% of their products are exported abroad under the brand name of 7 Seas and they strive to provide the most innovative and unique products and services to their customers.
Moiz Textile Mills Ltd
Moiz Textile Mills Limited is one of the most modern and professionally managed textile spinning units in Pakistan. Based off of Lahore, Pakistan, Moiz textile offer high-quality cotton, CVC and PC yarns to a global network of customers.
Specializing in air-jet weaving, Moiz textiles has built a successful image of consistency in quality and technical support to ensure the best service for their customers.
Conclusion
The yarn industry in Pakistan holds immense potential and is a key export for the country. As cotton yarn is the most abundant form of yarn being produced and exported, if marketed and handled correctly, it can lead to huge profits for the country’s economy.
Yarn production and export is monitored by PYMA (Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association) which was first established in 1960 with the objective of generating statistical reports relating to the import, export, and sale of all grades of yarn within Pakistan.
It also acts as a body to consult and communicate with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Chamber of Commerce, Associations, and other mercantile and public bodies in Pakistan to promote measures for the protection and promotion of interests of trade, commerce and industry and /or persons engaged therein. (PYMA 2020)
As statistical analysis has shown over the years, the steady decline in yarn export has primarily been a product of mishandling of resources. If industries work under strict guidelines and the resources within the country are better maintained, then the sky is the limit!
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