Check the Cotton Spot Rate and Phutti Price in Pakistan: KCA Rs 18,400 a Maund
KCA's cotton spot rate was Rs 18,400 a maund on 8 October 2026, with phutti at Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,500. See how to read the sheet before you sell your crop.
Short answer: The Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) spot rate was Rs 18,400 a maund at the farm gate, or Rs 18,680 delivered to Karachi, on Thursday 8 October 2026. Phutti, which is unginned seed cotton, was quoted at Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,500 for 40 kg, depending on province.
A grower in Rahim Yar Khan hears one rate from the ginner, another from a neighbour and a third on the phone. All three can be right. They measure different things, in different weights, at different points on the road.
This page shows how to read the KCA rate sheet and the daily phutti quotes, so you can tell which number applies to your bale. We could not find a KCA page that shows the daily rate in a form we could read. We read the rate sheet as a published copy of the KCA's daily notice, and we mark every figure as reported.
The KCA spot rate is for lint cotton, not phutti
The KCA spot rate is the price of ginned cotton lint, called "cotton" in the market. It is a benchmark set by a committee each trading day. Phutti, the raw seed cotton a farmer picks, trades at a separate quote per 40 kg.
Many farmers compare the two directly and think they are being cheated. They are different goods. Lint is what is left after a ginning factory removes the seed. The spot rate tells you what a ginner can expect for the lint, so it sets the ceiling for what the factory can afford to pay for phutti.
The rate sheet names its base grade: grade 3, staple length 1-1/16 inch, micronaire between 3.8 and 4.9 NCL. Micronaire is a measure of fibre fineness and maturity. If your cotton is of a different grade, the buyer will price it above or below the base.
On 8 October the sheet showed Rs 18,400 ex-gin and Rs 18,680 ex-Karachi
The rate sheet for Thursday 8 October gives four numbers. Ex-gin is the price at the ginning factory. Upcountry is the cost of carrying it to Karachi. Spot rate ex-Karachi is the sum. The sheet gives each in two weights.
| Item | Per 37.324 kg maund | Per 40 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Ex-gin price | Rs 18,400 | Rs 19,719 |
| Upcountry cost | Rs 280 | Rs 300 |
| Spot rate ex-Karachi | Rs 18,680 | Rs 20,019 |
The cotton maund on this sheet is 37.324 kg. That is smaller than the 40 kg maund used for wheat and phutti. If you compare cotton to wheat per maund without converting, you are comparing two different weights.
One detail in the sheet does not add up. Its "difference" column shows +400 against the previous day, but the previous day's ex-Karachi figure printed beside it is the same Rs 18,680. We read that as a printing slip in the comparison column, and we rely on the rate itself. Check the sheet's newest copy before you quote it.
Phutti sold for Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,500 for 40 kg across provinces
A market report for Thursday 8 October put phutti at Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,200 in Sindh and Balochistan, and Rs 8,700 to Rs 9,500 in Punjab. Lint cotton was Rs 18,000 to Rs 18,400 in Sindh and Rs 18,300 to Rs 18,700 in Punjab. Both are per maund and per 40 kg respectively.
| Province | Cotton lint, per maund | Phutti, per 40 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Sindh | Rs 18,000 to Rs 18,400 | Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,200 |
| Punjab | Rs 18,300 to Rs 18,700 | Rs 8,700 to Rs 9,500 |
| Balochistan | Rs 18,300 to Rs 18,400 | Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,200 |
The same report put polyester fibre, a competing raw material for mills, at Rs 445 a kg. Polyester matters because mills switch between the two when cotton gets dear.
These are market ranges quoted by a cotton analyst, not a government price. Nothing in them is binding on a buyer. The spread inside each province is large, which is why a written receipt matters.
The spot rate moved Rs 400 up and Rs 200 down in a week
The committee cut the spot rate by Rs 200 a maund on 1 October and again on 2 October. It raised it by Rs 400 to Rs 18,200 on Tuesday 6 October. By Thursday 8 October the rate was reported unchanged at Rs 18,400.
So the price is moving in small steps, and a week of data tells you more than one day. For the wider crop picture, the national figures on cotton arrivals reached 3.208 million bales by 30 September, up 5.39% on a year earlier, as reported. Production for the whole Kharif season was estimated at 6.7 million bales against a target of 9.64 million, which we covered in our Rabi 2026-27 plan report.
How to check the price before you sell your phutti
Look up the KCA spot rate, convert it to your weight, then ask the ginner for his phutti quote and compare it with the provincial range. Get the weight and moisture written down before the cotton leaves your yard.
- Find the latest KCA spot rate for lint, per 37.324 kg maund.
- Note the ex-gin figure, because that is what the ginner receives at the factory.
- Check the phutti range for your province, quoted per 40 kg.
- Ask the buyer for his rate and the moisture limit he accepts.
- Get the weight and rate on a written slip before you load.
For wholesale crop prices in Punjab markets, the government's AMIS price service lists daily mandi rates, though it quotes per 100 kg. If a scale looks wrong, our note on reporting a tampered scale tells you where to complain.
Common questions
What is the KCA spot rate?
It is the daily benchmark price of ginned cotton lint, set by the Karachi Cotton Association's spot rate committee. It is quoted per 37.324 kg maund for base grade 3 cotton.
Is the KCA spot rate the price a farmer gets?
No. It is a lint benchmark. A farmer sells phutti, which has seed and moisture, and the price differs by grade, weight and location.
How many kilograms are in a cotton maund?
The KCA rate sheet uses 37.324 kg. The phutti quote and the wheat maund use 40 kg. Convert before you compare.
What was the phutti price on 8 October 2026?
A market report put it at Rs 8,600 to Rs 9,500 for 40 kg, depending on province and quality. Punjab had the highest top end.
Is there an official support price for cotton?
We found no announced government support price for the 2026 cotton crop. The KCA spot rate is a market benchmark and not a government rate.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read a published copy of the KCA official spot rate sheet for 8 October 2026 and daily market reports for 6 and 8 October on 12 October 2026. We found no KCA page of its own that we could read the rate from. For wheat and crop prices, see the Punjab government's AMIS service. Rates change daily, so check the newest sheet before you sell.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
