According to a source from the Association, “Cotton has been sown on an area of 7,315 million mu (15 mu = 1 hectare) in the 2012-13 season, down 8.8 percent from its previous season and since crop is in good condition, yields will rise, as it has not been hit by any vagaries of nature”.

She said, “In the ongoing cotton season, China produced 6.6 million tons of cotton. The target for the 2012-13 season was set 6.6 percent higher than that achieved in its previous season and as per current outlook, cotton output will cross the target”.

Revealing the weather conditions, she said, “Currently, the weather is fine (temperature and heat necessary for good growth of cotton), since it is in the boil bearing stage, with even boils opening up in a few areas. This is a period which will determine the final crop output”.

When quizzed as to how the high cotton production will benefit the Chinese cotton industry, she replied by saying that it will help stabilize prices and they may even go down, which in turn will help curb high level imports witnessed in last few months.

Providing data on imports, she revealed, “Imports of cotton have broken all historical records of the past. In the first seven months of 2012, China imported 3.461 million tons, up an astounding 133.4 percent from a year earlier.

“In the cotton year beginning from September 2011 till July 2012, cotton imports grew by a massive 117 percent to touch 5.13 million tons. However the pace of imports has slowed down in July and monthly average price too has risen”.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - China