China's Xinjiang sees rise in cotton area this year

20 Aug '13

2 min read

The area under cotton plantation in China’s Xinjiang province has risen in 2013.

Cotton has been planted on 882.78 hectares of land in 2013, showing an increase of 7.1 percent year-on-year, according to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Information Office.

This year, the area under cotton to be harvested using cotton picker machine is likely to exceed 520 million mu (15 mu equals 1 hectare), i.e. 58.9 percent of the total sown area of cotton.

The area under cotton increased in Xinjiang, mainly due to the state purchasing and storage policy, as most of the Xinjiang cotton was purchased under the policy by the Government at 20,400 yuan/ton, a price much higher than the international market price.

Xinjiang is the most important region in China for production of high-quality cotton. The region accounts for about one-sixth of total cotton produced in China, and about half of the country’s total cotton exports.

There has been a steady growth in Xinjiang’s cotton production, but in recent years the growth has been restricted due to rising labour costs and shortage of labour. For this reason, the use of cotton picker machines has increased in the Xinjiang region.

At present, there are more than 1,500 cotton picker machines in Xinjiang, which has created favourable conditions for mechanical harvesting of cotton.

Between 2012 and 2015, Xinjiang is expected to invest 715 million yuan to further strengthen its position as high-quality cotton base.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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