Cotton rose to a two-week high as unusually heavy rain devastated crops in Pakistan, the fourth- largest grower.

Storms in the Sindh and Punjab regions during the past week may have damaged as much as 1.5 million bales on fields farmers have yet to harvest, said Mian Rashid Mehmood, the vice chairman of the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association. The farm ministry in June set a target to produce 15 million bales nationwide. Last yearΆs crop was reduced by the nationΆs worst-ever flood.

“Some traders are starting to take note of excessive rains in parts of Pakistan,” Mike Stevens, an independent trader in Mandeville, Louisiana, wrote today in an e-mailed report. “While there are no predictions of a repeat of last yearΆs disaster, some are likely taking a ΅shoot first and ask questions laterΆ attitude.”

Cotton for December delivery jumped 3.97 cents, or 3.8 percent, to settle at $1.0782 a pound at 2:34 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. Earlier, the fiber rose by the 4-cent exchange limit to $1.0785, the highest since Aug. 2.

In Pakistan, a bale weighs 375 pounds, or 170 kilograms. In the U.S., the worldΆs largest exporter and third-biggest grower, a bale weighs 480 pounds. China is the largest producer, followed by India.