On the 15th, the 2023 Xinjiang Cotton Industry Development Forum and Xinjiang Cotton Production and Sales Matchmaking Conference were held in Urumqi. The conference was themed "New Situation, New Opportunities, and New Actions", and gathered from the government, industry associations, and relevant enterprises in the cotton industry to conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges on the high-quality development of Xinjiang's cotton industry.

Event site. Photographed by Li Xinyang on People's Daily

It is understood that as of the end of October 2023, there are a total of 3725 textile and clothing enterprises in Xinjiang, an increase of approximately 5.7 times from 560 in 2014. Among them, more than 1350 investment enterprises from other provinces, regions, and cities have been attracted to Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has become the province in western China with the largest amount of investment and the largest number of enterprises in the textile and clothing industry transfer from the eastern and central regions, and has become a new highland for the agglomeration and development of China's textile and clothing industry, "said Liang Yong, Deputy Secretary General of the Autonomous Region People's Government.

The rapid development of Xinjiang's textile and clothing industry is closely related to its unique advantages in raw materials. As an important cotton producing area in China, Xinjiang's cotton production layout has been continuously optimized in recent years, and the quality of cotton has steadily improved. In 2023, 25 key cotton planting counties and cities in Xinjiang accounted for 90% of the total cotton planting area. The number of cotton planting farms in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was reduced from 103 to 78, and cotton production was further concentrated in advantageous cotton areas.

Although the cotton planting area has been reduced, the quality of cotton continues to improve. In 2022, except for a slight decrease in the length index, the comprehensive quality of cotton in Xinjiang has steadily increased, and the cotton rolling quality, micronaire value, and fracture strength continue to increase. The comprehensive quality of cotton in Xinjiang is at the best level since the target price reform, and the cotton quality has ranked among the top in the world, "said Liang Yong.

Benefiting from the unique advantages of Xinjiang cotton, the cotton textile industry chain is accelerating its extension, "said Liang Yong. From 2014 to 2022, the total fixed assets investment in Xinjiang textile and clothing industry was 285.9 billion yuan, with an average annual growth of 20% year on year. The year-on-year growth rate was in the forefront of the growth rate of fixed assets investment in various industries in Xinjiang.

From the production capacity and output of main products, in 2022, the production capacity of yarn, cloth, chemical fiber, and clothing in Xinjiang was 5.11 times, 13.0 times, 50.8%, and 4.66 times that of 2014. In the first nine months of this year, Xinjiang's yarn production reached 1.7257 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 14.8%; The production of cloth reached 926 million meters, a year-on-year increase of 41.2%; The clothing production of enterprises above designated size reached 30.3377 million pieces, a year-on-year decrease of 10.9%; The production of chemical fibers reached 618900 tons, a year-on-year increase of 18.8%.

During the event, Liang Yong, Deputy Secretary General of the Autonomous Region People's Government, delivered a keynote speech. Photographed by Li Xinyang on People's Daily

It is worth mentioning that polyester fiber manufacturing has achieved a historic breakthrough. The 350000 ton polyester fiber project in Alar City has been completed and put into operation by the end of 2022, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in polyester fiber manufacturing in Xinjiang; The 250000 ton polyester staple fiber project of China Thailand will also be put into operation by the end of this year.

This marks the realization of the tripartite balance of cotton, viscose fiber, and polyester fiber in Xinjiang's textile raw materials, laying the foundation for the coupled development of Xinjiang's cotton and oil resources, and creating conditions for accelerating the construction of textile and clothing industry cluster highlands and export processing bases in Xinjiang, "said Liang Yong.

The 2023 Xinjiang Cotton Industry Development Forum and Xinjiang Cotton Production and Sales Matchmaking Meeting are jointly hosted by the National Cotton Trading Market, China Cotton Association, China Cotton Textile Industry Association, Xinjiang Cotton Industry Development Leading Group Office, and the Xinjiang Branch of the Agricultural Development Bank of China.