The Australian Cotton Industry Forum (ACIF) held its biannual meeting recently, chaired by Cotton Australia Board member Matt McVeigh and attended by CA Board Chair Nigel Burnett and CEO Adam Kay, who serves as ACIF Secretariat.

The meeting brought together representatives from across the cotton industry, including the Association of Australian Cotton Scientists, Cotton Research & Development Corporation (CRDC), Australian Cotton Planting Seed Association, Australian Cotton Shippers Association, Wincott, Australian Cotton Ginners Association, and Crop Consultants Australia. Each group shared insights on their current priorities and activities.

Adam Kay highlighted Cotton Australia's focus on building strong relationships with key leaders, mentioning recent meetings with new Agriculture Minister Julie Collins, Assistant Agriculture Minister Anthony Chisholm, and members of the Queensland Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet.

The forum also discussed plans for preventing off-target drift in the upcoming 2024/25 season and reviewed progress on the Australian Cotton Industry Future Roadmap, covering areas like traceability, human rights, and data management.

The 2024-25 cotton season is projected to yield around 4.4 million bales, with an estimated value of over $3 billion (including seed and lint).

Other updates included:

• Australian Cotton Planting Seed Association: Reported strong seed quality this year and new steps to minimise mechanical damage. CSD has already dispatched 6,000 tonnes of planting seed.

• Australian Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA): Shared China’s re-entry into the market, now accounting for 29% of exports, with Vietnam at 27% and India at 11%. ACSA’s strategic plan will be rolled out in November 2024.

• CRDC: Announced a review of the myBMP program and that the industry data project will soon go to tender.