Cotton prices fall farmers throwing cotton collectively

At the moment, it is the season of cotton seedlings. However, affected by the fall in the purchase price of cotton, the enthusiasm of cotton farmers in the main cotton producing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has generally declined. Many cotton fields have been replanted with other crops or abandoned land, and some fields have also been planted. Tree.

In 2014, there was a big jump in the cotton market, and the purchase price of seed cotton fell from 4 yuan to 3 yuan. There is no sign of rebound until now. The large drop in crop yields directly led to cotton farmers in the traditional cotton planting areas no longer planting cotton.

Xu Conghui, director of the Cotton Division of De'an County Agriculture Bureau in Jiangxi Province, told reporters that due to high labor costs, cotton prices have fallen, and cotton growers have lost money. This year, the cotton planting area is expected to fall by at least 20,000 mu.

Some plots have been planted

De'an County in Jiangxi Province, as the main cotton producing area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has a history of growing cotton for more than two decades. Due to the cultivation technology and land consolidation, farmers generally do not easily switch to other crops, but this year, collective Cast cotton phenomenon.

April was the season of spring cultivation, and the reporter returned to Dean County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, his hometown. At this time in the past, farmers were busy planting cotton. However, this year's situation is somewhat different.

In the fields of Dawei Village in De'an County, the reporter saw that the number of cotton seedlings bred by farmers has become less, some cotton fields have been replanted with corn or are being replanted with rice, and some land has been directly abandoned and covered with grass. Some plots are planted with landscape seedlings or fast-growing forests.

The reporter saw that the trees in the Dagu Village and Huangtong Village of Fenglin Town in De'an County have grown to two or three meters in height and have become groves. The "Land Management Law" clarifies "strictly controlling the conversion of cultivated land to non-cultivated land." Under the background of the state’s protection of arable land, arable land trees are still worthy of vigilance.

However, some villagers believe that there will be fewer types of cotton this year, and more land will be thrown away. “It is better to plant corn or trees instead of cultivating them and not to manage them manually.” During the busy season, the reporter saw that agricultural production is not a concern for farmers. The top priority is where most of the villagers talked about where to work, including some middle-aged farmers who are all working in the county.

“Now, growing cotton is increasingly not profitable. It is better to find more than a thousand dollars in the county than cotton.” Jin Qirong, a villager in Dayi Village, said that last year, the husband and wife planted a total of more than ten acres of cotton. The income of seven or eight thousand yuan, "there is no good kind of land." "Daily Economic News" reporter from a variety of cotton seed sales point also confirmed the fact that farmers abandoned. In the seed sales street in De'an County, the reporter learned from the investigation that the sales owners of seed shops generally complained about the decline in seed sales. Song Yanan, head of the seed marketing company, said that the sales of seeds this year were only 1/3 of last year. The person in charge of the Agricultural Seed Sales Office also said that the sales of cottonseeds this year were only two or three percent of the previous year.

According to data from the De'an County Bureau of Agriculture, the cotton planting area was 66,000 mu last year. The cotton office estimates that the planting area for this year's cotton is only about 46,000 mu, and the planting area will directly fall by 20,000 mu, which will be 30%.

Cotton farmers abandoned the cotton spread

In fact, in recent years, the prices of agricultural production materials such as fertilizers, pesticides, and labor costs have continued to rise, and the cotton prices that are closely related to the income of farmers have stagnated, which has greatly affected the enthusiasm of cotton farmers in planting cotton.

Xu Conghui explained to reporters that before 2014, the country purchased cotton at a protective price, and the price of cotton was basically between 4.5 and 5 yuan, and it has now fallen to 3 yuan.

Under the influence of multiple unfavorable factors, farmers can only vote with their feet and give up cotton.

In fact, cotton farmers abandon cotton not only in Jiangxi, Hubei, Shandong and other cotton growing areas.

Sun Liwu, an analyst at Zhuo Chuang Information Cotton, said that after the new cotton was introduced in October 2010, the cotton returned to the low-price era and fell by 27% year-on-year. It is expected that this year will be basically between 13,000 and 14,000 yuan/ton, and the cotton farmers' seed cotton sales prices. It decreased by 25% to 31% year-on-year. “The actual income of cotton farmers and the gap between them and food and vegetables are too big and the planting enthusiasm for cotton is still declining. It is estimated that the cotton planting area in China will fall to 4900 to 50 million mu in 2015, a decrease of 18% to 19% year-on-year.”

The decline in cotton cultivation was also impacted by imported cotton. In 2014, China imported 2,440,700 tons of cotton, a year-on-year decrease of 1,709,700 tons. China adopts a quota system for imported cotton, and cotton within the quota will only receive a 1% tariff. More than 40% of the tariff will be charged.

Sun Liwu said in an interview that the cotton spreads at home and abroad have remained basically unchanged. According to the previous sliding tax calculation, only 194 million tons of 1% of the quota was issued this year, but 1% of customs clearance and domestic circulation of cotton still have about 2,000 yuan/ton. The price difference.

In Xu Conghui's view, the domestic cotton market price is greatly affected by foreign cotton imports. The degree of mechanization in the United States is high, while the labor cost in Africa is low. They have their own advantages. The labor cost in our country is high. If the cotton is sold for two dollars a pound, the farmers At a loss, companies operate independently and they are regulated by the market, so they are willing to use imported cotton.

From this year onwards, as the price of imported cotton continues to rise, the country has begun to gradually reduce cotton imports. According to customs statistics, China imported 127,900 tons of cotton in March, a decrease of 31,100 tons from the previous month, a decrease of 19.6%.

For cotton farmers, they are most concerned about their own income, if the cotton yield is less than rice, cotton is also a helpless choice. However, due to the need for water for rice, which in the past had left the canal reservoirs out of repair, they could only switch to maize or simply plant trees.

The De'an County Agricultural Director said that the autonomy of farming in the land is now in the hands of ordinary people. The County Bureau of Agriculture can only conduct guidance, such as guiding farmers to plant corn, planting potatoes, and planting mulberry and sericulture. If the price of cotton is low, it is impossible. Forever planted, it is necessary to adjust the agricultural structure.