Cotton output in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region topped 5.1 million tonnes this year, maintaining its first rank in China for over two decades, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The amount accounts for 89.5 percent of the country's total cotton output. Xinjiang has ranked first in China for more than 20 consecutive years in terms of total cotton output, per-unit yield, planting area and commodity allocation.

The cotton planting area in Xinjiang in 2021 reached 2.5 million hectares, accounting for 82.8 percent of the national planting area, according to the NBS.

The cotton yield in Xinjiang averaged 136.43 kg per mu, which was 10.26 kg per mu higher than the national average cotton yield.

With unique natural conditions, Xinjiang is the largest high-quality cotton production base in China and an important producer of the crop throughout the world. Since the 1990s, cotton production in China has gradually shifted from the Yellow River basin to Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has seen mechanized and intelligent cotton planting in recent years. The development of the cotton industry has improved the lives of growers, textile workers and their families.