Australia’s cotton growers can expect a positive crop, Cotton Australia says, as planting gets underway across the nation
Cotton planting is underway across most of Australia’s growing regions with some crops already out of the ground in warmer climates, while growers in southern regions await warmer weather to start their season.
Cotton Australia general manager Michael Murray says the signs for this season are positive with Australia’s growers expecting to generate just over four million bales or around 910,000 tonnes of quality fibre, and close to 1.1 million tonnes of cotton seed.
“This year we are expecting about 393,000 green hectares to be planted, predominantly in New South Wales and Queensland with crops also being planted in the Northern Territory and Western Australia,” Murray says.
“If expectations are accurate, we will see more than $2.7 billion generated for the national economy with most of that money filtering down into the 249 communities that benefit directly from cotton growing.”
Demand for Australian cotton is expected to continue due to our geographic position, which is close to the main buyers, and the quality and strength of our fibre, Cotton Australia adds.
“We have witnessed prices of up to $1,000 per bale but the latest trends show the price hovering around the $550 per bale with the price outlook suggesting a $600 per bale is possible in the next 12 months,” Murray says.
“We export everything we produce, and thankfully demand is still strong with recent figures from cotton marketing news service Cotton Compass revealing that in July, 26 per cent of bales exported went to China, 19 per cent to India, 15 per cent to Vietnam and 13 per cent both to Bangladesh and Indonesia.
“In general, our growers remain positive on this season’s crop, and while it varies from region to region, many are reporting good conditions including soil profiles and moisture content.”