CHINA TRYING TO INCREASE COTTON OUTPUT, PAPER SAYS

  China's 1987 cotton output must rise
  above the 1986 level of 3.54 mln tonnes or supply will fall
  short of increasing demand, the China Daily said.
      Demand in 1986 rose 10.9 pct over 1985.
      Output in 1986 fell from 4.15 mln tonnes in 1985 and a
  record 6.2 mln in 1984, official figures show. The China Daily
  attributed the decline to several factors, including less
  favorable weather conditions and new state measures to restrict
  cotton production after the 1984 build-up of stocks.
      According to Customs figures, cotton exports rose to
  558,089 tonnes in calendar 1986 from 347,026 in 1985.
      To increase output quickly, the state will raise by 10 pct
  the price it pays for cotton produced above and beyond quota
  levels, the newspaper said. Its official purchasing agencies
  will buy cotton produced in excess of that originally
  contracted for, it added.
      The China Daily said all cotton growing areas in south
  China should be maintained, and growing in the north should be
  concentrated in Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Xinjiang.
      It called for comprehensive planning to coordinate
  production of cotton with that of grain, edible oil and other
  crops, but gave no more details.
  

