CANBERRA, Feb 14 (NNN-AAP) – Australia’s national science agency, unveiled upgrades to its cotton research facility, in a major boost for the growing industry.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), today opened the upgraded facilities in Myall Vale in New South Wales, which were purpose built at a cost of 25 million Australian dollars (17.4 million U.S. dollars), to support cutting-edge cotton research.
It includes a new Cotton Management Research Laboratory, at which researchers will be able to precisely monitor impact of insect resistance on crops and measure crop nutritional status.
The upgrade comes more than 60 years after cotton research began at the Myall Vale Experimental Station in 1958, and 51 years after CSIRO opened the Cotton Research Unit.
All cotton grown in Australia is now a product of CSIRO research.
Warwick Stiller, leader of the CSIRO’s Cotton Breeding Programme, said, the new facilities cemented the agency’s position as a world leader in cotton research.
“The work our researchers are doing at Myall Vale is globally recognised, from developing pest-resistant cotton, to producing more sustainable varieties that require less water,” he said.
According to Cotton Australia, there are up to 1,500 individual cotton farms in Australia, producing enough cotton every year to clothe about 500 million people.
Forecasts released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences (ABARES), revealed that, the value of the 2022/23 cotton crop is expected to hit 3.4 billion Australian dollars (about 2.3 billion U.S. dollars).
Cotton exports in 2022/23 are expected to hit 5.1 billion Australian dollars (about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars) after shipping delays for the 2022 crop.– NNN-AAP
