China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on the 25th that the country's cotton production has increased, driven by an increase in sown area and an increase in yield per unit area. In 2024, China's cotton output was 6.164 million tons, an increase of 546,000 tons or 9.7 percent over the previous year.
Among them, Xinjiang's cotton output was 5.686 million tons, an increase of 574,000 tons or 11.2 percent over the previous year. Cotton output in the Yangtze River Basin was 221,000 tons, an increase of 0.2 million tons or 0.8 percent over the previous year. Cotton output in the Yellow River basin was 206,000 tons, down 33,000 tons or 13.7 percent from the previous year.
Wei Fenghua, deputy director of the rural Department of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that in 2024, the country's cotton sowing area was 42.574 million mu, an increase of 752,000 mu over the previous year, an increase of 1.8%. By region, Xinjiang's cotton sown area was 36.719 million mu, an increase of 1.179 million mu, or 3.3 percent, over the previous year.
According to reports, this year, the target price of cotton in Xinjiang has remained at a high level, the expected income of cotton planting is stable, the enthusiasm of cotton farmers is high, and the area has increased more. Affected by low comparative benefit and adjustment of planting structure, cotton area in other cotton areas showed a decreasing trend.
In terms of output per unit area, in 2024, the country's cotton yield per mu was 144.8 kg, an increase of 10.4 kg over the previous year, an increase of 7.8%.
From the perspective of different regions, Wei Fenghua said that since the sowing of cotton in Xinjiang, there has been sufficient light and warm water, and the overall meteorological conditions are conducive to the growth and development of cotton, which is significantly better than that of the previous year, especially in the picking period, Xinjiang has more fine weather, which is conducive to improving the yield and quality of cotton. In 2024, Xinjiang's cotton yield per mu was 154.9 kg, an increase of 11.0 kg or 7.6 percent over the previous year.
In other cotton regions, the cotton yield per mu in the Yangtze River basin was 73.2 kg, an increase of 1.8 kg or 2.5% over the previous year; The cotton yield per mu in the Yellow River basin was 83.7 kg, down 0.1 kg or 0.2 percent from the previous year.
(Information source: China Textile Economic Information Network)