AUSTRALIAN Government officials last week met with delegates from AfricaΆs four major cotton-producing countries who are visiting Australia to learn how to improve cotton production systems in Africa.
Assistant Secretary, Multilateral Trade, Simon Smalley, said the Australian Government has provided $198,600 in funding to enable the industry representatives to train in Australian cotton production techniques.

“Australia is the worldΆs third largest exporter of cotton, with an export industry that is worth around $1.5 billion a year,” Mr Smalley said.

“We want to share our knowledge with the African representatives so they can benefit from our experience and learnings, which have contributed to our internationally renowned cotton industry.”

The delegates are visiting from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, also known as the African Cotton 4 (C-4) Countries. Cotton exports account for 30 per cent of all exports from Chad, Benin and Mali, and 56 per cent of exports from Burkina Faso.

During the visit, Australian experts from the CSIRO and the Australian cotton industry are providing the delegates with on-farm training, research outcomes and support on best practice approaches for cotton production.

The program is part of AustraliaΆs commitment to World Trade Organization (WTO) trade negotiations and past WTO decisions to work on development assistance issues for African cotton producing countries.

“The Australian cotton industry, much like the African cotton industry, is one of the most significant employers in regional cotton-growing areas, such as New South Wales and Queensland,” Mr Smalley said.

“By working with representatives from these countries we will be able to assist them to overcome issues that are preventing growth and expansion in their industry.”

After the visit, the delegates will return to their respective countries to train at least 25 industry workers, passing on the knowledge attained from the Australian cotton experts.