Merchants to raise cotton base staple length to enhance value

11 Oct '05

3 min read

Cotton merchants will increase the base staple length for Australian cotton to 1-1/8 (36) for the 2005/06 growing season in what they say is the first step in a bid to better reflect the true value of Australian cotton to the end user.

Australia Cotton Shippers Association chairman, Hilton Lobb, said the move was made necessary in a bid to preserve Australia's premium niche in the world market.

He believed the shift in base staple had become an urgent matter for the industry to address due to the identification of a worrying trend for some of the higher yielding varieties to under-perform compared to industry average on fibre length characteristics particularly under stressful growing conditions.

There are some varieties that ACSA members are definitely concerned about quality-wise particularly when we consider the popularity those varieties are likely to enjoy in coming seasons based on yield considerations.

Growers must carefully assess their agronomic and seasonal situations before selecting varieties, as we simply must be growing 1-1/8 cotton and better. If the Australian industry cannot supply the quality our markets require, market share and the premium for Australian cotton will reduce.

All ACSA members have agreed that the market discount for 1 3/32” cotton must be made more transparent throughout the entire supply chain in order to send accurate market signals - and therefore ensure we grow a marketable product.

Mr Lobb said the situation was becoming more and more important as other cotton producing nations began to focus increasingly on quality.

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