* China produced 6.4 mln T of cotton in 2009, down 14.6 pct
* In line with estimates of National Bureau of Statistics
* Lower output could lead to more foreign imports (Adds more details)
BEIJING, Feb 25 - China, the world's largest cotton consumer, produced 6.4 million tonnes of cotton in 2009, down 14.6 percent from 2008, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed on Thursday.
The figure was in line with earlier estimates by the bureau, but lower than the agricultural ministry's forecast of 6.7 million tonnes.[ID:nTOE5BM034]
Lower domestic output could prompt China, the world's largest cotton importer, to buy more from abroad to meet demand from its textile industry, with exports seen improving this year.
China's cotton imports in January rose 286.4 percent from a year ago to more than 301,359 tonnes. January imports were also up 39 percent from December when Beijing completed sales of domestic stocks.
Transport problems have blocked supplies from the country's largest cotton area of Xinjiang, triggering tight supplies.
In January, imports from India surged 2,866 percent from a year ago to 171,998 tonnes while imports from the United States, the largest exporter, fell 15 percent on year. (For details, search on SOF/CN).
China's exports of textile products and garments in January rose 2.3 percent from a year ago, official figures showed.