China - Xinjiang Corps Reduce Cotton Area to 6.5 Million Mu in Three Years

As the key fine cotton production base, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) decided to reducing the cotton planting and increasing the foodstuff area and sped up its structure adjustment. It aimed to reduec the cotton planting area to 6.5 million mu and increase the foodstuff area to 4.5 million in three years.

In its recent conference, Nie Weiguo, the director of XPCC said the adjustment had made some achievement already. Although the cotton planting area cut 800,000 mu on the previous year. The cotton output was expected to reach 1.3 million tons this year, up 4.2%. While the foodstuff output was expected to reach 1.38 million tons, up 14.1%.

For years, the Corps formed the single-crop farming business. The planting and production of cotton increased gradually. The planting area was 7.5 million mu in 2007 and 7.8 million mu in 2008. Under the international cotton price impact, the cost of domestic production and low profit became prominent.

The Corps pointed out that the major goal of cottion production for next year was to move the low output into the quality output. The planned cotton area was 7.5 million mu with output 1.1 million tons. And the foodstuff area was 3.6 million mu with output 1.55 million tons.