长江流域是仅次于黄河流域的我国第二大产棉区,棉花产量占全国棉花总产量的30％,其品质居于全国之首。从1985年开始,棉花生产连年滑坡,出现供不应求的严峻形势,虽经各级政府采取了一系列政策措施,但紧张局面仍未得到根本改观。笔者调查了全国十个主要产棉省,就这一地区发展棉花生产机械化的战略问题提出几点看法。 The Yangtze River is the second largest cotton producing area in China, second only to the Yellow River basin. Cotton production accounts for 30% of the total cotton output in the country and its quality ranks first in the country. Since 1985, cotton production has been declining year after year, causing a severe situation of short supply. Although a series of policies and measures have been adopted by governments at all levels, tensions have not yet been fundamentally changed. The author investigated ten major cotton-producing provinces in the country and put forward some suggestions on the strategy for developing mechanization of cotton production in this area.