Continuing the remarkable post-drought resurgence for Australian cotton, the industry is now predicting that this year’s national harvest will be the largest ever recorded: 4,056,000 bales.

Cotton Australia’s production forecast estimates1,785,000 bales will be grown in Queensland, while New South Wales will account for 2,271,000 bales, producing a harvest worth about $2.3 billion.

Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says while the floods brought significant challenges for many growers, good management and the delivery of expert advice has given some growers the chance to salvage or recover inundated cotton crops.

“While most people will remember the start of this year as ‘flood, cyclone, flood,’ the season has actually produced very good cotton-growing conditions, which allowed for some recovery of crops that went underwater. Growers unaffected by the floods are telling us they expect to harvest personal-best crops in many areas, and that productivity is driving the national crop forecast upwards.”

The previous record Australian cotton harvest was in 2000/01, when about 3.6million bales were produced.Cotton Australia’s Chief Executive says while having such a bumper crop is great, the sheer size of the job ahead brings some additional challenges.

“With such a massive crop predicted, we are still looking to recruit enough workers to harvest and gin our cotton. Anyone interested in spending a few months working in cotton country can call our HarvestHelp line, 1 800 062 332,” Kay says.