Agriculture Minister announces cotton grant

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud visited the Narrabri region last week with Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.

They announced more than $1 million for the Northern NSW/Southern QLD Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, with the funding going towards adoption officer roles to drive uptake in drought resilience technologies and practices on farms.

Mr Littleproud was also taken on a tour of the University of Sydney’s Narrabri campus, gaining an insight into the innovative projects taking place in the region.

Later in the week, Mr Littleproud and Mr Coulton travelled to Dubbo where they announced a $1,515,700 Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation grant to the Australian Cotton Shippers Association and Cotton Australia to develop market access strategies for the cotton industry.

Mr Coulton said the grant will have flow-on effects for local cotton growers by helping to maximise the potential for Australian cotton exports and increasing the global profile of locally-produced cotton.

“The Parkes electorate is home to some of the best cotton-growing regions in Australia and this grant will ensure our local growers can take full advantage of our exporting opportunities,” Mr Coulton said.

“With water storages full, our cotton growers will be able to fully capitalise on what is expected to be a couple of bumper seasons coming up.”

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the funding will continue to develop important international growth markets and drive demand with customers.

“We want to make Australian cotton a fibre of choice for global textile manufacturers, brands and retailers,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Cotton growers here in the Parkes electorate will benefit as we continue to drive demand for Aussie cotton with brands and retailers and position the industry in new and emerging markets.”

Cotton Australia chief executive officer Adam Kay said that market diversification will continue to be crucial for the industry.

“We’re forecasting a large crop of 4.8 million bales in 2022, compared to an average of 3 million bales produced each year during the period from 2014-19,” Mr Kay said.

“This grant will help increase demand for the sustainable high-quality cotton we produce, avoid the need to stockpile and establish a clear
roadmap for our future marketing efforts.”

ACSA chair Roger Tomkins acknowledged the importance of the grant in ensuring Australian cotton can match the promotional activities of its competitors, particularly the USA and Brazil.

The government said the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation grants have been awarded under the Australian government’s Agri-Business Expansion Initiative.

The Australian government has invested $85.9 million through ABEI to help Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries diversify and expand their export markets.

This work will be jointly delivered by ACSA and CA, with support from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

The project supports the marketing of Australian cotton by the members of ACSA, with demand being generated by CA, and it builds on Phase 1 $692,456 ATMAC grant to develop and implement an Export Market Diversification Strategy.