According to observations, among the various subsidy and funding policy projects provided by the state in agriculture, the cotton market target price subsidy is the largest among all subsidies that benefit farmers. Taking Jiangsu Province as an example, from 2014 to 2015, the target cotton price subsidy amount given to farmers per mu was 206 yuan. This subsidy level ranks in the middle among the main inland cotton-producing provinces, and some provinces exceed this level.
Judging from the changes in production and circulation trends in the mainland cotton areas in recent years, the huge amount of cotton subsidies has not stopped the decline in the cotton planting area in the mainland. Taking Jiangsu as an example, a major cotton-producing province and a national key high-quality cotton base that was once full of cotton has long since stopped producing cotton. A province that is self-sufficient in raw material resources has become an importing province. According to relevant information from the agricultural department, starting from 2018, Jiangsu Province will decentralize cotton planting subsidy authority to cities (counties\districts) and increase the amount of subsidies. For example, the cotton planting subsidy per mu in a traditional cotton area in Yancheng is 500 yuan, which was 2014 Nearly 1.5 times that of when subsidies were implemented in 2016. However, such high subsidies have failed to prevent the mainland’s cotton planting area from declining year by year.
Statistics show that in a key traditional high-quality cotton production area in the Yangtze River Basin, the cotton planting area that enjoyed the 2014 cotton target price subsidy was 223,400 acres, and there were 49,363 cotton farmers. A total of 49,363 cotton farmers received national cotton target price subsidies. The amount is 46.0131 million yuan. In 2015, the cotton planting area enjoying target price subsidies in the region dropped sharply to 49,700 acres, with 12,786 cotton farmers receiving national cotton target price subsidies of 10.2473 million yuan. In terms of area, the decrease is surprising, and the number of farmers has doubled. After 2018, the cotton planting area in the region has been reduced to less than 2,000 acres.
The adjustment of the structure of agricultural planting varieties in the mainland has become more common in various places in recent years. Especially after the introduction of the national policy of relaxing land development and utilization and encouraging efficient use to expand land output, the pace of agricultural structural adjustment has further intensified. big. However, it is rare in the history of agricultural production that the cotton from the mainland was “transferred” out of the industry so quickly. Looking at the overall situation of cotton production, the decline in area and output is closely related to market fluctuations, poor comparative production efficiency, high production and marketing risks, and high labor intensity. The withdrawal of cotton is closely related to the economic development status of one party.
So, despite the fact that the natural conditions are suitable for cotton cultivation and it has been cultivated for hundreds of years, and the state also provides generous subsidies, the planting area of cotton in traditional main producing areas has still decreased significantly. What is the reason?
First of all, frequent market fluctuations and poor comparative efficiency are the primary factors that cause cotton farmers to be reluctant to grow cotton. The instability of the market manifested itself in the “roller coaster” ups and downs of purchase and sale prices after 2010, leaving many cotton farmers and cotton companies at a loss as to what to do. In addition, cotton production requires a lot of labor and costs, and has always been far ahead of grain and oil crops in terms of purchase and sale price. But times have changed. At present, the prices of agricultural products fluctuate, and the gap is huge. The so-called value ratio has long been lost. In the past, the price ratio of grain and cotton was 1:8, that is, 1 catty of cotton can buy 8 catties of wheat. Now, 2 catties of wheat are equal to 1 catty of seed cotton. the value of. Wheat cultivation has been mechanized throughout life, but cotton cultivation mostly relies on manual labor. Under such a serious imbalance between input and income, it is reasonable for farmers to choose not to grow cotton.
Secondly, the high natural risks involved in cotton production also make farmers afraid of cotton. Taking Yancheng, Jiangsu Province as an example, since 2014, it has been hit by rain, low temperature, drought, floods and insect pests almost every year, and the disaster time is often during the critical period of cotton growth. In some years, many farmers only harvested about 100 kilograms of seed cotton per mu. In most years, the purchase price of seed cotton in the mainland fluctuates around 3 yuan/jin. This caused the cotton harvesting stations and factories to be depressed during the selling season. A large number of farmers were reluctant to sell and hoped for a higher price. They gradually lost confidence in the cotton market and had a strong desire to abandon cotton and switch to planting crops. Cotton production naturally began to decline.
In recent years, the state has made major reforms and adjustments in policy subsidies for agriculture and farmers. This is an inevitable trend in the development of the economic situation and structural adjustment. The reduction of cotton production in the mainland has become a fact. For textile companies in the cotton sales areas of the mainland, whether the distant Xinjiang alone can effectively guarantee the national cotton supply. Clothing, food, housing, and transportation are all essential to people’s livelihood. As the cotton industry develops into a new historical period, strategic planning and macro adjustments that are more modern, scientific, and practical and effectively connect production and marketing are issues worthy of in-depth consideration. </p
