In 2014, both national cotton area and output declined; the Ministry of Agriculture released the data

Report from this website  It is learned that this year's national cotton planting area is expected to drop 8.7% from last year, and because some cotton regions suffered drought, high temperatures and other meteorological disasters earlier, the full-year cotton output is expected to be somewhat lower than last year.

The reduction in the national cotton area is mainly due to the relatively large decline in the inland cotton area, with the Yangtze River Basin cotton region falling about 12.1% and the Yellow River Basin about 14.5%, and it shows the characteristics of “large declines in area in major cotton counties and large declines in area among large growers.” According to feedback from agricultural departments in the inland cotton region, Hebei's cotton spring planting area was 7.23 million mu, down 16.4% year on year; Jiangsu's cotton area may fall below 2 million mu for the first time, down about 20% from last year; in Jiangxi, major cotton-growing counties with more than 100,000 mu, such as Pengze and Duchang, both saw declines of more than 10%, and many large growers reduced their area by nearly 50%; Huarong County is Hunan's top cotton county, with its cotton area maintained at around 500,000 mu year-round, and this year's cotton planting area is 450,000 mu, down 10% from the same period last year.

⟦NL> According to Pan Xiufen, senior agronomist at the Cotton Technology Extension Station of the Cangzhou City Agriculture Bureau, Cangzhou's cotton planting area last year was 1.6 million mu, and this year's actual cotton planting area is expected to be at most 1 million mu. He Yanzeng, a cotton farmer in Nanwucun Town, Jizhou City, Hengshui, said that in 2013 he planted 11 mu of cotton, and this year, after hearing that the state had canceled the temporary cotton storage policy, he planted only 6 mu, and next year he may not plant any at all. Responsible comrades from agricultural departments in Jiangsu and four other provinces also generally believe that, because the comparative benefit of cotton is relatively low and the temporary storage policy has also been canceled, the inland cotton area may continue to decline in the future.

According to analysis by market early-warning experts at the Ministry of Agriculture, taking into comprehensive account factors such as population, income growth and export demand, China's cotton consumption is expected to remain at a relatively high level in the future, while at the same time both area and output in the inland cotton region are showing a declining trend, with production further concentrating in the western cotton region, the Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin cotton regions gradually shrinking, and a gap existing between market supply and demand; as for this year's situation, the state has stopped releasing reserved cotton and may strengthen import and export regulation to make room for sales of new cotton.

At present, new cotton in Xinjiang has begun to come onto the market in scattered amounts, and textile enterprises continue to replenish inventories slightly. Experts suggest that textile enterprises arrange cotton raw material procurement and inventory replenishment in a timely manner according to production progress.