Ministry of Agriculture: Decreased cotton planting area by 7%

The reporter recently learned that the domestic cotton price has been hanging upside down from the international price for a long time. The price difference has reached 5,000 yuan per ton, and due to the high inventory, this year's cotton price is almost impossible to rise. Reflected in cotton cultivation, the planting intentions of the three major cotton regions have all declined, and even the northwest region, which is about to enjoy the target price subsidy pilot, has also seen a 4.9% decline in intention.

According to the requirements of the Central No. 1 Document, the pilot target cotton price subsidies for Xinjiang will be launched during the year. However, the current doubts on specific measures for price subsidies interfere with the selection of cotton farmers.

The survey data released by the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday (March 27) showed that cotton planting intentions of cotton farmers continued to decline. It is expected that the intentional planting area of ​​cotton this year will be reduced by 7% from the previous year. According to the survey data of the China Cotton Association, the average planting intention of farmers across the country is reduced by 10.5%.

"Specific measures must be introduced before the spring broadcast, and will not delay the cotton farmers' cotton farming." A staff member of the China Cotton Association revealed to reporters that the subsidy policy for cotton growing outside Xinjiang is being stepped up and will soon be introduced.

The cotton planting area continues to decline According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Huanghuaihai region has already reduced cotton production and area. According to data from the China Cotton Association, 27% of the cotton farmers under investigation are prepared to reduce the area. According to the weighted average cotton planters' intentions, the average planting intention of the cotton farmers in the country is reduced by 10.5%. Based on the 2013 area of ​​the association, the 2014 national Cotton planting area is 62.59 million mu. At this point, the country's cotton planting area has declined for three consecutive years.

The analysis of the national cotton industry technical system report believes that the reason for the decline in cotton planting area is that the detailed rules and other supporting measures for the cotton target price subsidy have not yet been clarified, and some cotton farmers are still waiting to see. The overall planting intention decline has increased from the previous period. With regard to the decline in cotton planting intention area, the Ministry of Agriculture attributed this to the low profitability of cotton cultivation.

According to Sino-cotton coordination survey data, among the provinces and regions where there is a 12-point reduction in the cotton planting area in the country, Henan has taken the lead in reducing by 23.2%. In this regard, Henan Cotton Association analyzed that this year the country will start targeting cotton subsidies for Xinjiang, but the support policies for cotton cultivation in other regions have not yet been clarified, coupled with the cancellation of the next year's temporary cotton purchase and storage policy, the acquisition price is difficult to maintain the current high price The price of seed cotton was driven down and the cotton planting income further declined.

“The benefits of planting cotton are very low.” Farmers in Henan Province told reporters that the long cycle of production of cotton, large investment, large demand for manpower, the total cost of planting an acre of cotton last year was nearly 2200 yuan, but the gross income per acre is only 3,000 yuan in the beginning, and cotton farmers are generally facing the trend of rising labor costs. The farmers said: "Every basic Spring Festival, the cost of employing people must be increased." Cotton farmers bluntly said that cotton is not as good as grain.

In addition, in Min County, Hunan, the target cotton planting area of ​​local cotton farmers has been reduced by 24.9%. The main reason is that this year, the state will no longer accept storage, and the cotton price will return to market-dominated, while the current domestic cotton price is higher than the international cotton price. When the cost is high and the labor cost is taken, the cotton farmers reduce the risk and reduce the cotton planting area. In addition, given the cotton situation this year, the local government has advised farmers to replant better cash crops such as corn, sorghum, wax gourd and other cash crops.

Domestic and foreign cotton prices are upside down. "Currently, domestic and foreign cotton prices differ by 5,000 yuan per ton." Zhou Xiaoqiu, analyst at Guotai Junan Securities, believes that "domestic prices are much higher than international prices, and domestic cotton spinning companies are not competitive with the international market. From the point of view, domestic companies want to gradually market the cotton price and integrate it with the international market. In addition, the domestic cotton surplus is large and the inventory is high. In the future, domestic high stocks will be consumed, so the cotton price is weak and space is limited.

At present, domestic cotton imports are subject to a quota management system, and cotton that exceeds quota imports will be subject to a 40% tariff, but under high tariffs, domestic and international cotton prices are still hanging upside down.

Yue Yang cotton distributor Li Hailong told reporters that now the average price per tonne of 4 lint cotton is 17,000 yuan, and the average price of imported lint after taxation is still cheaper than 1,000 yuan. In this case, the domestic revenue per mu is less than 1,000 yuan. Cotton prices are still lacking in competitive advantages with international cotton prices.

In this regard, the China Cotton Association believes that the stable cotton planting area still needs policy support, such as the launch of the target cotton price subsidy pilot program in Xinjiang, the continued fine seed subsidies, and the creation of high yields, and the main attack on production weaknesses such as machine picking, increasing scientific cotton planting and technology development. With cotton, we have actively established a socialized service system for cotton production, increased support for cotton specialized cooperatives, large cotton planters, family farms, and cotton specialized service agencies, and formed a group of new experiences.