EVERY product has a story to tell, and for Australian cotton, the clean green image is the perfect illustration.

Australian cotton will soon be part of a True Aussie pilot project for Australian branding in the Asian market as part of a collaboration between the National Farmers Federation (NFF) and Cotton Australia.

While the brand has already been used for the promotion of beef and lamb, horticulture and fibre products are next in line to be branded in True Aussie style.

True Aussie is already a recognised brand, being used in 12 key international markets including China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia.

Cotton Australia chief executive Adam Kay said the True Aussie branding would result in the collective development of the brand overseas rather than each commodity having a different logo or brand.

“Our cotton is already quality assured with myBMP and for the past two years weΆve been telling the Australian cotton story to major retailers and getting our message out there to drive demand for Australian cotton, so this is a natural progression for us to have the True Aussie logo on the cotton when we sell it,” Mr Kay said.

Having cotton branded True Aussie not only authenticates the product, but could lead to improving traceability, according to NFF chief executive officer.

Mr Talbot said being able to trace a product to its region of origin, and possibly right down to the paddock where it was grown, had great potential in the Asian export market.

“WeΆre the best food and fibre producers in the world and our products are traceable to a high standard,” Mr Talbot said.

“Research has shown that 80 per cent of smart phone owners want more mobile-optimised product information while they're shopping in stores.

“As soon as NBN satellites are up we can trace everything that we produce - food and fibre – and identify where it was grown, then processed, packaged, and shipped to the supplier.

“A Chinese consumer can walk up to a leg of lamb in a supermarket thatΆs going to tell them theyΆre purchasing an Australian product and in 30 seconds they can have all that information.”

Mr Talbot said the program wasnΆt just about a logo, but meeting the needs of consumers that are asking for more.

“Ultimately, the country that has the best traceability system will be able to attract a premium from Asian markets,” he said.

“Because of the level of counterfeiting in those regions, when a consumer buys a product, the first thing they do is question its safety and try to identify the origin of that product and its authenticity.”