The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has conducted a special briefing for members of the National Farmers Federation, including Cotton Australia, on the ongoing negotiations around the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India (negotiations started in 2011). The interim agreement or ECTA (Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement) came into force in late 2022, and it is through this that our industry gets the 51,000 tonnes of tariff-free quota.

Cotton Australia has played a key role in securing the right to export 51,000 tonnes of Australian cotton to India duty-free each year, with the elimination of an 11 per cent tariff. Now, CEO Adam Kay is focused on doubling that amount.

The DFAT briefing heard that the Australia/India cotton deal is one of the positive stories arising from the FTA negotiations, with efforts ongoing to gain additional access to Indian markets for Australian growers. The negotiators discussed how protective many agricultural industries are in the Indian government, but the opportunity with Australian cotton is not to compete but to complement the Indian cotton and grow their textile industry.