BEIJING: China’s cotton output this year stood at 5.618 million tonnes, down from 2022 partly due to unfavorable weather conditions in the major producing region, official data showed Monday. According to the NBS, the yearly output was 6.1 percent lower than last year, while the overall cotton field area was down by 7.1 percent to 2.7881 million hectares.
Meanwhile, the national average output per hectare increased by 1.1 percent. NBS official Wang Guirong said Xinjiang, the country’s largest cotton-growing region, experienced unsatisfactory weather conditions such as lower temperatures and more rainfall in spring and long-lasting heatwaves in summer, which combined with a reduction in low-yield fields, resulted in a marginal per hectare production decline. –Agencies
