BEIJING: China’s agriculture ministry on Tuesday urged cotton growers in the world’s top producer to irrigate and fertilise more to cope with scorching temperatures that have hit major growing areas during the critical flowering period.

Large swathes of China have experienced periods of record high temperatures since last month, and on Sunday a city in the northwestern region of Xinjiang broke records when the temperature reached 52.2 Celsius (125.96 Fahrenheit).

Xinjiang produces about 90% of China’s cotton but acreage has dropped by about 8% this year, partly because of cold, rainy weather that killed off shoots in the spring, according to a China-based trader. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in its monthly crop update last week that high temperatures had impacted cotton bud growth in some regions.

Farmers should water the cotton if there’s no rainfall for over seven days or the daily average temperature surpasses 32C, and the top of the cotton plant shows signs of withering, the ministry said in a statement.

Whereas, China’s Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday cut its forecast for cotton imports in the 2022/23 crop year ending in August on weaker-than-expected demand from textile enterprises.

Cotton imports are expected to be 1.45 million metric tons, the ministry said in its monthly China Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (CASDE), a reduction of 400,000 tons from last month’s forecast.