For first time in four years, Chinese cotton output likely to rise

30 Aug '11

2 min read

In the last four years, it is for the first time that China's cotton production for the current 2011-12 season is likely to rise. This is expected to help the biggest producer and consumer of cotton across the globe, to trim down its reliance on imports and reflecting the same in prices, particularly when the demand from the textile sector is moving slowly.

Supported by favourable climate during major part of the cultivation season and wide crop cultivation acreage, the production for the 2011-12 season is projected to go up by 10 percent from last season's output of 7.2 million tons to 7.9 million tons.

Experts opined that as far as the climate remains favourable all through the cultivation season, a good output is guaranteed. They further added that cotton growers have begun harvesting some of the early crops transversely, through the north-western region of the country.

In addition to above, rise in area under cotton cultivation in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to the Northwest of China, country's largest cotton producing region, has also contributed to the rise in production. However, over the past three years a drop had been noted in total area under cotton cultivation.

As indicated by the customs figures, cotton exports for July this year decreased by 13 percent to 157,000 tons as compared to corresponding period last year.

Nonetheless, if it rains heavily during the next two months and temperature too remains low during the period, it may adversely affect the volume as well as quality of crop growing in the fields.

Also, factors like high cost of production coupled with labour scarcity and land limit expansion, may impose a cap on the cotton cultivation acreage which fell by over 6.6 percent this year.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - China

More Textiles News - China...