Over the past few months, hundreds of growers, consultants, researchers and industry representatives came together across the cotton regions to help shape the future of Australian cotton.

Through the Australian Cotton Strategic Roadmap Roadshow, we explored how our industry can stay profitable, competitive, sustainable and respected – at home and abroad. The conversations were open, practical and farmer-driven, and have already been used to help plan the next steps.

There were two clear takeaways for Cotton Australia and CRDC as we move into the next phase of the Roadmap:

• Make the value clear and measurable. Growers want to clearly see the benefits — practical, tangible and quantified — especially if they’re being asked to do more.

• Keep it simple and connected. Growers want all Roadmap initiatives presented as one coordinated package that streamlines their work and reduces duplication, not adds to it.

Here’s a snapshot of what participants said across the four key topics.

Sustainable Cotton / myBMP

Growers are proud of the industry’s environmental progress and want simple, streamlined ways to prove it. Sustainability data should be collected once and used many times, with an industry-owned myBMP remaining the backbone program and a grower’s ‘ticket to play’. Growers broadly value myBMP as recognised proof of best practice and legal compliance, but feel it needs updating to remain attractive to growers and credible to customers.

Traceability

Traceability was viewed by almost every participant as inevitable and essential for the future. Growers felt that without it, they would be unable to generate additional value for their cotton – but also felt they had little control over traceability once they’d delivered their cotton to the gin.

Most supported an industry-owned system that tracks cotton through the supply chain — provided it adds value, not paperwork and protects grower privacy. It should connect with myBMP and CRDC’s Data Platform and it was felt the cost should be shared fairly by brands and retailers, growers and merchants.

CRDC Data Platform

As this was the first time most growers were introduced to the CRDC Data Platform project, there were many questions and some concerns raised. Many remain cautious about data privacy, compliance burden and practical value – while strongly supporting an industry-owned platform.

Growers want connected systems and a platform that will save time, add value and protect their interests. Strong data security and clear ownership are essential.

Human Rights

Workshop participants were presented with a number of scenarios on topics such as child labour, minimum working age and harassment – and then asked to respond. This was a new topic for growers, and the tone shifted during discussions from initial scepticism (“we don’t have a problem”) to a general agreement that while we are low risk, human rights is important to customers, and so must be addressed at farm and industry level as a way to showcase our strong credentials and leadership in this area.

What’s Next?

The Roadshow confirmed that the Australian cotton industry supports the work of the Australian Cotton Strategic Roadmap, and recognises its importance to remain future-focused, competitive and a world leader. Growers want practical, integrated solutions that reduce duplication, protect market access and deliver value.

The next phase of the Strategic Roadmap will turn these discussions into clear priorities and actions. CRDC and Cotton Australia will invest in economic modelling and more research to clearly establish the value proposition, ensure the topics are integrated into one seamless package, and investigate new models that can deliver value to growers and the industry.