China’s cotton output increased 7.8 per cent this year.
The total area of cotton fields expanded 4.9 per cent and the yield per hectare edged up 2.8 per cent.

Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the country's largest cotton growing area, saw an 11.9 per cent jump in cotton output and accounted for 83.8 per cent of the national total output this year, up three percentage points from 2017.

World cotton production for 2019 is forecast to be down, led by Pakistan, China, and India more than offsetting higher production in Brazil.

Trade is projected up with higher Brazil exports and rising Pakistan demand.

Global use is down sharply mainly because of China’s lower-than-expected annual growth amid uncertain economic prospects and textile exports.

China’s cotton stocks have drastically fallen, from 60 million bales in 2014 to just under 13 million bales.

This dramatic reduction has been due to three years of aggressive selling with 11.5 million bales sold in the latest annual round of selling which ended in September.

China was able to increase reserves dramatically as additional imports were allowed to offset purchases from the domestic crop.

In 2015-16, China’s shift away from a price support program for cotton caused internal prices to fall, which helped to boost consumption but also helped to lower production.