How much land is used for cotton in Australia?

Q: How much land does cotton farming use?

It is grown on 2.5% of the worlds agricultural land but consumes 16% of all the insecticides and 7% of all herbicides used worldwide - thats more than any other crop in the world.

The cotton industry is one of Australia's most significant contributors to the agricultural sector, with exports worth around $2 billion each year. Australia is one of the world's top four cotton exporters, competing in a heavily subsidised international market. Cotton crops are regularly threatened by weather extremes and disease, and can be devastated by insect pests. To remain competitive and thrive, Australian cotton farmers need higher yields and lower production costs.

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Our response
A breed for every challenge
The results
A sustainable, profitable cotton industry
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Do business with us to help your organisation thrive
How big is the cotton industry in Australia?
How much land does cotton farming use?
Does Australia produce a lot of cotton?
Where does Australia get its cotton?

Our response

A breed for every challenge

Our research has been vital to a profitable cotton industry. Our expertise in plant breeding, biotechnology, farming systems, assessments for disease resistance and post-harvest processing aims to optimise yield and quality.

For example, we introduced insect resistant traits, developed by Monsanto, into our cotton varieties bred especially for Australian conditions, revolutionising disease and pest resistance, yield and fibre quality. The result was top quality cotton that is highly sought after in the global market.

The results

A sustainable, profitable cotton industry

The engagement

CSIRO works collaboratively and co-invests with the cotton industry and its peak bodies. Cotton Breeding Australia is a joint venture between CSIRO and Cotton Seed Distributors which funds research and markets CSIRO cotton varieties globally.

The result is top quality cotton that's highly sought after in the global market.

For every dollar CSIRO invests in breeding research, there is an $80 benefit to industry.

Agreements with global agricultural biotechnology companies, such as Monsanto and Bayer, ensure Australian farmers have access to valuable new traits delivered through CSIRO varieties. It is highly likely that today’s Australian cotton industry would not have existed without this combination of investment, expertise, collaboration and widespread deployment of new cotton varieties.

The impact

Today, all Australian cotton, half the dryland cotton in the United States and about one-third of the cotton in Brazil, Turkey and Greece, benefits from CSIRO-bred varieties.

Australia’s cotton growing productivity, measured by kilograms of lint yield per hectare, is now the world’s highest. Economic assessments1 of CSIRO's cotton breeding program show an estimated 80:1 return on investment and more than $5 billion2 net present value from increased yield and regional adaptation in Australia. Benefits of over $379.5 million over the next decade are expected, through further increases in yield productivity.

CSIRO’s cotton varieties improve environmental sustainability and profitability, through increased water efficiency and reduced use of insecticidal sprays.

Australian cotton farming is the most water efficient in the world.

Widespread adoption of CSIRO varieties in Australia has reduced insecticide use by 85 per cent and cut herbicide use by 52 per cent, improving soil health and reducing waterway contamination.

Download Transforming the cotton industry for competitive results impact case study PDF (150 KB).

ACIL Allen Consulting, 2014. CSIRO's Impact and Value – An Independent Assessment.
CIE, 2002, Cotton breeding & decision support: A benefit-cost analysis of CSIRO’s research programs.

Cotton research from seed to shirt
Interactive map of CSIRO projects around the world

Do business with us to help your organisation thrive

We partner with small and large companies, government and industry in Australia and around the world.

The short answer is no, for a variety of reasons. In fact to Cotton Australia's knowledge there are no organic cotton farms in Australia. Australia's cotton farmers have tried and failed to grow organic cotton in Australia's larger, modern and mechanised cotton farming systems.

Instead, cotton in Australia is grown under the world class myBMP (Best Management Practices) program that includes over 300 environmental and social standards including many in common with organic cotton production. While there are many similarities, the Australian cotton industry believes that the myBMP program is the best certification for achieving sustainable cotton production in Australia.

Organic cotton has proven most successful in developing countries where the average farm size is 1-2 hectares. This makes organic farming much more manageable in terms of "hands-on" crop management requirements such as hand sowing, weeding and harvesting.

Organic cotton production has proven difficult in Australia for reasons including:

Yields for organic cotton in Australia are much lower, and therefore require 3-4 times more land to produce the same amount of cotton. So from a land-use efficiency perspective, organic cotton doesn't make good sense here in Australia like it does in other parts of the world
Despite lower yields, organic cotton requires at least the same amount of water as the conventional cotton varieties grown in Australia
The cost of production can be higher for organic cotton in Australia, making it essential to get a better price for the fibre to make it a profitable option - a risk that's not always achievable
Growers get paid more when they produce high quality cotton fibre, and Australia grows some of the highest quality cotton in the world - as non GM cotton is more susceptible to insect pests and diseases, this becomes more difficult as quality can suffer and can also be inconsistent year to year in the Australian system
Organic cotton requires more intensive seasonal labour which is difficult to source and is much more expensive in Australia compared to developing cotton producing countries
Australian growers use GM cotton varieties with an inbuilt resistance to insects. This has reduced pesticide use by over 90% in the last decade. GM is not permitted in the organic farming system

Cotton Australia believes that there is a place for all cotton certification programs that are working towards higher environmental and social standards for cotton (such as organic, myBMP from Australia, Better Cotton and Fairtrade). These programs can work together to tackle some of the shared issues for cotton production globally.

How big is the cotton industry in Australia?

Cotton Growing in Australia - Market Size 2007–2028.

How much land does cotton farming use?

It is grown on 2.5% of the world's agricultural land but consumes 16% of all the insecticides and 7% of all herbicides used worldwide - that's more than any other crop in the world.

Does Australia produce a lot of cotton?

Cotton is a major crop in Australia, representing from 30% to 60% of total agricultural production in the regions where it's grown (by value). Cotton is a very productive crop, with Australian lint yields often producing three times the world average yield.

Where does Australia get its cotton?

Cotton is grown in the inland regions of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. The major production area in NSW stretches south from the Macintyre River on the Queensland border and covers the Gwydir, Namoi and Macquarie valleys.