Australian cotton production is forecast to rise by 4% to 968,000 tonnes in 2017-2018. This rise is despite a reduced area of cotton planted and lower returns being forecast due to falling world prices.[1]
ABARES notes that the total planted area of cotton planted is forecast to decline by 10% to 500,000 hectares due to a decrease in irrigation water available from dams in the cotton growing region and dry seasonal conditions.1
Export volumes for this period are forecast to increase by 24% to 944,000 tonnes with strong demand for quality cotton from Bangladesh, China, India and Vietnam with the value of exports also increasing to around $2.1 billion.1
[1] ABARES 2017, Agricultural commodities: December quarter 2017. CC BY 4.0
