In 2024, the actual cotton planting area in China will decrease by 1.4% year on year

In late May 2024, the national cotton market monitoring system will carry out a nationwide special survey on the actual cotton planting area, involving 14 provinces (autonomous regions), 45 cotton planting counties (cities, regimental farms), and 1700 fixed-point cotton planting information contact households. The survey results show that in 2024, the actual cotton planting area in China will be 40833000 mu, a year-on-year decrease of 569000 mu, or 1.4%. The details are as follows:

1、 The cotton planting area in Xinjiang has declined steadily

In 2024, the cotton planting area in the northwest inland will be 35.869 million mu, a year-on-year decrease of 52.1, or 1.4%. Among them, the cotton planting area in Xinjiang was 35.654 million mu, a year-on-year decrease of 509000 mu, or 1.4%; The cotton planting area in Gansu was 215000 mu, a year-on-year decrease of 12000 mu, or 5.3%.

2、 The total area of cotton sown in the mainland declined slightly

In 2024, the actual cotton planting area in the mainland will be 4.821 million mu, a year-on-year decrease of 44000 mu, or 0.9%. Among them, the cotton planting area in the Yellow River basin was 2.906 million mu, an increase of 5000 mu or 0.2% year on year. On the whole, except for Shandong Province, where the actual sown area increased by 7.1%, the actual sown area of other provinces decreased. Among them, the actual sown area of Henan Province decreased by 8.1%, the actual sown area of Hebei Province decreased slightly by 5.3%, and the actual sown area of other provinces decreased by less than 5%.

In addition, the cotton planting area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was 1.915 million mu, a year-on-year decrease of 49000 mu, or 2.5%. On the whole, except for Hubei Province, the actual sown area was basically the same year on year, the actual sown area of other provinces decreased, and the actual sown area of Anhui Province, Hunan Province, Jiangsu Province and Jiangxi Province decreased by 6.3%, 3.7%, 5.7% and 1.0% respectively.

3、 Main reasons for the change of cotton sown area

1. Xinjiang

First, Xinjiang implemented the optimization policy for cotton planting areas, guided the secondary cotton suitable areas and low quality and low efficiency cotton fields without water supply guarantee to withdraw from cotton planting, and further concentrated to superior production areas and production protection areas.

Second, cotton planting income is relatively stable, better than wheat, corn and other crops, and cotton farmers are still willing to plant.

Third, in 2024, the plastic film, water and labor costs in Xinjiang will rise slightly, and the price of chemical fertilizer will decline. However, mechanized and large-scale planting will show its advantages. The planting cost will remain stable and the planting income will be guaranteed.

Therefore, the actual cotton planting area in most of Xinjiang's production areas is basically stable, while the actual cotton planting area in a small number of areas has increased and decreased, and the overall area has declined slightly.

2. Mainland

The reserve land resources left by the mainland for the conversion of cotton to grain are few, and the remaining land with poor resource conditions, such as arid and saline land, is no longer suitable for planting grain and other crops. Although the actual planting area of cotton in most production areas in the mainland has declined, the decrease has significantly decreased. In addition, according to the survey, affected by the reduction of pepper production last year, farmers in some areas of Shandong changed to cotton this year, and the local actual planting area increased.

On the whole, the area of cotton sown in the mainland declined slightly.