BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) -China will issue 200,000 metric tons in sliding tariff rate cotton import quotas to non-state firms to meet the needs of the domestic textile industry, state planner National Development and Reform Commission said on Wednesday.

That is less than half of the 750,000 metric tons allocated in 2023.

The announcement called on eligible traders to apply for a share of the import quota but does not specify when it will be issued.

China has historically been the world's largest importer of cotton.

Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Himani Sarkar