International and domestic fashion brands, spinners, suppliers, and non-government organisations experienced first-hand where cotton comes from as part of Cotton Australia’s ‘Camp Cotton’ tour last week.
More than 50 delegates from around the world joined the North West regional leg of the tour, visiting Cotton Seed Distributors for a tour of the facility on Thursday as well as hearing from researchers and scientists at the Australian Cotton Research Institute in the afternoon.
Cotton Australia said the experience of visiting farms, CSD, ACRI and hearing from industry experts at a forum was ‘an eye opener’ for the delegates who were eager to learn more about Australian cotton.
A highlight of the trip for many of the international delegates was seeing a kangaroo for the first time.
Along the road trip, delegates witnessed the region’s fields full of glorious white fluffy cotton, with picking currently underway on many farms.
The tour showcased Australian cotton’s sustainability credentials to fashion labels, with the group also given the opportunity to visit farmer Andrew Watson’s property at
Boggabri and Australian Food and Fibre farms and gin.
The Cotton Australia tour not only helped to promote the fabulous fibre but also show off the industry’s sustainable practices.
The Australian cotton tour was made possible through the federal government’s ATMAC program, which aims to increase trade diversification and expansion opportunities to access new markets for Australia’s agricultural commodities.
It’s hoped the program will assist the agriculture sector in reaching its goal of generating $100 billion for the Australian economy annually.
It comes as ABARES forecasts that Australian cotton will become the third most valuable export commodity after wheat and beef.
More photos and a further report in a future edition of The Courier.
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