Industrial Base: The Survey Shows That The Cost Of Cotton Planting In China Will Increase Slightly In 2024

In order to fully understand the cotton planting cost in 2024, the national cotton market monitoring system will conduct a nationwide cotton planting cost survey from late December 2024 to early January 2025. The sample involves 14 provinces (autonomous regions), 46 counties, and 1700 designated information contact households. The survey results show that the cotton planting cost in Xinjiang will increase slightly year on year in 2024, and the cotton planting cost in the mainland will be basically stable. The details are as follows:

1、 Xinjiang cotton planting cost

The cost of cotton planting mainly includes land cost (only renting land for cotton planting), production cost, labor cost and machinery operation cost.

（1） Xinjiang Corps

The total planting cost of self owned land for machine picked cotton in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was 1763 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 12 yuan/mu, or 0.7%; The total cost of leased land planting is 2954 yuan/mu, an increase of 22 yuan/mu or 0.8% year on year.

1. Land cost

The average land rental cost of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was 1191 yuan/mu, an increase of 34 yuan/mu year-on-year, or 2.9%, accounting for 40.3% of the total cotton planting cost of the leased land.

2. Production cost

The total production cost of machine picked cotton in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was 1029 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 13 yuan/mu, or 1.2%. The production cost accounted for 58.4% of the total planting cost of its own land and 34.8% of the total planting cost of leased land. Fertilizer, water and electricity, pesticide, plastic film and cotton seed costs were 464 yuan/mu, 252 yuan/mu, 150 yuan/mu, 105 yuan/mu and 58 yuan/mu, respectively. Among them, pesticide costs rose most year on year, while water and electricity costs fell most year on year.

3. Labor cost

The total labor cost of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps machine picking cotton is 191 yuan/mu, an increase of 5 yuan/mu or 1.2% year on year, accounting for 10.8% of the total planting cost of its own land and 6.5% of the total planting cost of leased land. The labor cost of machine picking cotton is mainly the field management fee.

4. Mechanical operation cost

The total operating cost of cotton picking machinery in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was 423 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 5 yuan/mu, or 1.2%, accounting for 24.0% of the total planting cost of its own land and 14.3% of the total planting cost of leased land. It is mainly the cost of mechanical pickup, in addition, it also includes the cost of machine farming, the cost of recovery of residual film, etc.

5. Other costs

In addition to the above costs, other costs totaled 120 yuan/mu, accounting for 6.8% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 4.1% of the total planting cost of leased land. It mainly includes the cost of drip irrigation belt, defoliant, UAV topping and herbicide.

（2） Xinjiang

1. Machine picking cotton

The total planting cost of Xinjiang local machine-made cotton on its own land is 1587 yuan/mu, an increase of 2 yuan/mu or 0.1% year on year; The total cost of leased land planting is 2781 yuan/mu, an increase of 60 yuan/mu or 2.2% year on year.

(1) Land cost

The average land rent in Xinjiang is 1194 yuan/mu, an increase of 58 yuan/mu year-on-year, or 5.1%, accounting for 42.9% of the total cotton planting cost of the leased land.

(2) Production cost

The total production cost of Xinjiang local machine-made cotton is 930 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 3 yuan/mu, or 0.3%, accounting for 58.6% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 33.4% of the total planting cost of leased land. It mainly includes chemical fertilizer, water and electricity charges, pesticide, cotton seed and plastic film costs, which are 449 yuan/mu, 231 yuan/mu, 124 yuan/mu, 64 yuan/mu and 62 yuan/mu respectively. Among them, pesticide costs are the most rising and water and electricity costs are the most declining.

(3) Labor cost

The total labor cost of Xinjiang local machine picking cotton is 179 yuan/mu, an increase of 2 yuan/mu or 1.1% year on year, accounting for 11.3% of the total planting cost of its own land and 6.4% of the total planting cost of leased land. Mainly field management fees.

(4) Mechanical operation cost

The total operating cost of Xinjiang local machine cotton picking machinery is 397 yuan/mu, an increase of 1 yuan/mu year-on-year, or 0.3%, accounting for 25.0% of the total planting cost of its own land and 14.3% of the total planting cost of leased land. It is mainly the cost of mechanical pickup, in addition, it also includes the cost of machine farming, the cost of recovery of residual film, etc.

(5) Other costs

In addition to the above costs, other costs account for 81 yuan/mu in total, accounting for 5.1% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 2.9% of the total planting cost of leased land. It mainly includes the cost of drip irrigation belt, defoliant, UAV topping and herbicide.

2. Hand picking cotton

The total planting cost of Xinjiang local hand picked cotton on its own land is 2315 yuan/mu, an increase of 15 yuan/mu or 0.7% year on year; The total cost of leased land planting is 3509 yuan/mu, an increase of 73 yuan/mu or 2.1% year on year.

(1) Land cost

The average land rent in Xinjiang is 1194 yuan/mu, an increase of 58 yuan/mu or 5.1% year on year, accounting for 34.0% of the total planting cost of hand picked cotton.

(2) Production cost

The total production cost of Xinjiang local hand picked cotton is 930 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 3 yuan/mu, or 0.3%, accounting for 40.2% of the total planting cost of its own land and 26.5% of the total planting cost of leased land. The cost of each item is the same as that of machine picked cotton.

(3) Labor cost

The total labor cost of hand picking cotton in Xinjiang is 1116 yuan/mu, an increase of 8 yuan/mu or 0.7% year on year, accounting for 48.2% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 31.8% of the total planting cost of leased land. The labor cost for flower picking, field management and irrigation/drip irrigation is 840 yuan/mu, 179 yuan/mu and 97 yuan/mu respectively. Among them, the cost with the largest year-on-year increase is the labor cost for picking flowers.

(4) Mechanical operation cost

The total operating cost of Xinjiang local hand picking machinery is 188 yuan/mu, an increase of 8 yuan/mu or 4.4% year on year, accounting for 8.1% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 5.4% of the total planting cost of leased land. The machinery cost mainly includes the machine farming cost and the residual film recovery cost.

2、 Inland cotton planting cost

The cotton in the mainland is mainly hand picked. The total cost of self owned land planting is 1089 yuan/mu, an increase of 5 yuan/mu or 0.5% year on year. The total cost of leased land planting is 1734 yuan/mu, unchanged year on year.

1. Land cost

The average land rent in the mainland was 645 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 5 yuan/mu, or 0.8%, accounting for 37.2% of the total planting cost of leased land.

2. Production cost

The total production cost in mainland China was 690 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 15 yuan/mu, or 2.1%, accounting for 63.4% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 39.8% of the total planting cost of leased land. Fertilizer, pesticide, water and electricity, cotton seed and plastic film costs are 325 yuan/mu, 142 yuan/mu, 108 yuan/mu, 71 yuan/mu and 44 yuan/mu respectively. Among them, except for pesticides, the cost of other sub items fell year on year, and the cost of fertilizer fell the most.

3. Labor cost

The total labor cost in the mainland was 228 yuan/mu, an increase of 16 yuan/mu year-on-year, or 7.5%, accounting for 20.9% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 13.1% of the total planting cost of leased land. The labor cost mainly includes 161 yuan/mu of field management fee and 67 yuan/mu of irrigation/drip irrigation labor fee, among which, the field management fee has increased significantly year on year.

4. Mechanical operation cost

The total cost of machinery operation in mainland China was 83 yuan/mu, a year-on-year decrease of 1 yuan/mu, or 1.2%, accounting for 7.6% of the total cost of planting on its own land and 4.8% of the total cost of planting on leased land, mainly including the cost of machine farming and the cost of recovering residual film.

5. Other costs

In addition to the above costs, other costs account for a total of 88 yuan/mu, accounting for 8.1% of the total planting cost of self owned land and 5.1% of the total planting cost of leased land.

3、 Conclusion

In 2024, the cost of cotton planting in Xinjiang and the mainland will remain stable as a whole. Among them, the cost of land in Xinjiang will rise slightly, and the increase of local land cost in Xinjiang will be larger than that in the Corps. The production cost and machinery operation cost will decline slightly in a stable manner, and the water and electricity fees will decline significantly. The total cost of cotton planting in the Corps and local leased land will increase, and cotton planting in leased land will face certain pressure. The labor cost of cotton planting in the mainland increased, while other costs decreased slightly, and the total cost was basically stable.