WITH the first anniversary of those terrible floods which washed over many cotton crops last summer, the resilience and resurgence of the cotton industry demonstrates the difference that 12 months can make.
Cotton Australia Queensland Policy Manager, Michael Murray says around 60 of the worst affected cotton growers have been able to replant this season and remain on track for a healthy harvest, thanks to the Cotton Industry Flood Relief Fund.
Mr Murray says there were 85 applications made for assistance to the Cotton Industry Flood Relief Fund and the independent fund administrator assessed those applications in order of need, with those most severely affected by flooding receiving priority.
“The vast majority of assistance was provided on the Darling Downs, where 57% of the $2 million-plus fund was allocated and 28% went to cotton growing family farms in Theodore. The Cotton Industry Flood Relief Fund also approved assistance for growers in Emerald as well as growers further south in the Macintyre Valley.” Recovering from that loss, the Australian cotton industry remains on track for a record harvest this year, which could mean over 5 million bales. Picking of the earliest crops is likely to begin around Emerald in about six weeks.
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