Australian cotton crops this year to be 2nd best on record

• February 15, 2022

Owing to favourable conditions across most of Australia’s cotton growing regions, the country’s production this year is expected to be second best on record, according to Cotton Australia. Australian cotton, which is among the best quality sustainable cotton, was impacted by drought in 2019-20 when its yield was less than 590,000 bales, followed by 2.8 million bales last year.

“Substantial rain late last year and early this year have growers optimistic, and if good conditions continue, a crop of around 5.2 million bales is possible,” Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay said in a press release.

Kay said some regions haven’t had enough rain and others have suffered severe flooding, but the majority of growing regions have benefitted from warmer temperatures, good rain and manageable pest issues.

“It goes to show how diverse our cotton growing regions are with some farmers separated by thousands of kilometres. But what is clear is that most of Australia’s 1500 growers are busy preparing for a good year and hoping they can find staff to help them through to harvest.

“While the yield per hectare can also vary significantly, particularly with dryland and irrigated cotton, some are forecasting 12-14 bales a hectare under irrigation. Good results are also expected in dryland areas because of the rain and natural conditions this year,” Kay added.