China’s cotton output set to fall 1 year after US’ Xinjiang ban as focus shifts to food security, quality
- Cotton output from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is expected to fall by 11 per cent in 2023 from last year to 5.57 million tonnes
- China is increasingly placing an emphasis on cotton quality over quantity, while also creating room for crops amid food security concerns
One year after a US import ban was implemented, China has grown less cotton in its Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with a significant drop in output expected this year amid a quality push and food security drive.
China, which provides over 20 per cent of the world’s cotton, mostly from the western region of Xinjiang, may see its production fall by more than 10 per cent as it places an emphasis on quality over quantity and makes room for crops, according to analysts and farmers.
The government has been committing to high quality development of the cotton industry for years
“The government has been committing to high quality development of the cotton industry for years, and achieved visible progress in the past year, as fields believed not to be best for the growth of cotton are switched to other crops,” said a statement from Beijing Cotton Outlook Consulting.
She expects output in Xinjiang to fall by 11 per cent in 2023 from last year to 5.57 million tonnes, while China’s overall output is expected to fall by 11.8 per cent from 2022 to 5.98 million tonnes.
A directive by the sprawling Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in July said 16 of its divisions would stop growing cotton by the end of the year in a bid to “prioritise planting structure and improve quality”.
