Karachi: The Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) organized World Cotton Day at the Federation House in Karachi on October 7, 2026, to highlight the importance of cotton globally and address challenges faced by Pakistan in boosting cotton production. The event focused on meeting the increasing demand for raw materials in the local textile industry.

According to Karachi Cotton Association, prominent speakers from various sectors of the cotton trade, including Muhammad Atif Shakoor, Chairman of the KCA, and Rizwan Iqbal Umer, Senior Vice-Chairman of the KCA, emphasized the urgent need for government intervention to enhance cotton production and quality. Shakoor urged the government to take immediate steps to avoid cotton imports and conserve foreign exchange, while Umer called for collective efforts to strengthen the cotton trade and safeguard the interests of growers.

Other speakers, including Prem Chand, Vice-Chairman of the KCA, and Khawaja M. Zubair, Ex-Officio Member of the Executive Committee, highlighted the importance of collaboration between KCA, APTMA, and PCGA to advocate for improved cotton production and quality. Zubair stressed the need for government assurance of healthy cotton seed availability and proposed organizing a seminar to explore solutions for the declining cotton production.

Muhammad Arif Piracha, a former member of the KCA, underscored cotton's environmental benefits and suggested a marketing slogan for the crop, while Chandarlal, a licensed cotton broker, recommended that the KCA engage with government officials to underscore cotton's significance to the national GDP and its potential to reduce the trade deficit.

The event was attended by a large number of representatives from the cotton trade, reflecting the sector's collective commitment to addressing its challenges.