China's cotton planting area in 2009 has declined an estimated 11.34 percent from last year, said a report on the official website of the China Cotton Association (CCA).

Based on its survey in 13 major cotton-planting areas, including Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, the CCA said that the planted area would reach 5.21 million hectares this year.

Faltering demand from the textile industry had depressed cotton prices and reduced farmers' willingness to produce, it said.

However, average yields were likely to rise thanks to favorable weather conditions this year, the report said.

The report also said that the textile industry was unlikely to make much of a recovery in the rest of the year, even though textile factories' operating rates had risen.

China's cotton output in 2008 dipped 1.6 percent year on year to 7.5 million tonnes.

China is the world's largest cotton producer, consumer and importer.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2009)