Australian Cotton Industry Data Platform
Building the future of Australian cotton through smarter data
The Australian cotton industry is developing a new digital platform to transform how data is managed, reported and used. Once built, the Australian Cotton Industry Data Platform will simplify and centralise data management, automate reporting and help cotton growers and the wider supply chain get more value from their data.
Led by the CRDC, the industry-owned platform will support increasing demands for sustainability, traceability and verified claims by making cotton data more accessible, accurate and useful. Developed with growers and supply chain stakeholders, this secure, easy-to-use platform will automate data integration and sharing, reduce inefficiencies and unlock opportunities for everyone involved – from growers to consultants, gins, merchants and brands. It will also streamline sustainability reporting for growers by simplifying data collection and compliance.
What is the platform?
The platform is being developed as a centralised, secure and industry-owned piece of digital infrastructure tailored to the unique needs of the Australian cotton industry. It will provide tools and insights to support smarter decision-making, improve processes and enhance data security, giving growers more time to focus on their farms while keeping the industry competitive in a rapidly evolving, data-driven market.
Growers will always retain full ownership and control of their data, choosing when, how, and with whom it is shared. CRDC is developing the platform in line with strict government data protection standards, including the Privacy Act 1988, and aligning with the NFF Farm Data Code to ensure strong security and privacy.
Benefits for Australian cotton
As technology evolves, collecting and sharing data is becoming more valuable and essential. But right now, handling farm data is often time-consuming and spread across multiple systems. The new platform will simplify this by bringing data together in one secure, central location.
- Saving time by automating data handling and reducing duplication
- Owning and controlling your data in line with the NFF Farm Data Code
- Simplifying compliance with sustainability and regulatory reporting
- Supporting decision-making using insights and benchmarking tools
- Building trust and access with transparent and verifiable data
- Driving innovation and improving productivity through better data use
- Staying future-ready by adapting to changing technology, regulations, and market needs
Supporting a stronger cotton industry
The platform is a cornerstone of the Australian cotton industry’s strategic vision. It is a central tenet of the CRDC Strategic Plan 2023-28, Clever Cotton and a foundational pillar in the Strategic Roadmap for Australian Cotton, a joint initiative of Cotton Australia, CRDC, and the Australian Cotton Shippers Association. The platform is a collaborative, future-focused infrastructure investment for the benefit of the industry. It will make it easier and more cost-effective for growers to meet their sustainability reporting requirements, support industry-wide credibility, and underpin sustainability claims with transparent, verifiable data.
How did the project begin?
The platform builds on years of foundational work. From 2016 to 2018, CRDC led the Accelerating Precision to Decision Agriculture (P2D) project under the Australian Government’s Rural R&D for Profit program, in partnership with all 15 RDCs. The project highlighted the value of digital agriculture and identified the need for better data access, interoperability (systems sharing in real time), a central data platform, and stronger data privacy and trust frameworks. It recommended developing a national digital strategy, a data code of practice (which led to the NFF Farm Data Code), and automating data collection.
Building on these findings, CRDC brought together growers, gins, merchants, classers, and researchers to develop a digital strategy for Australian cotton. CRDC’s Clever Cotton plan committed to creating a trusted, industry-owned data platform to support smarter, data-driven decisions which was a fundamental recommendation of the digital strategy.
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Stay updated
The platform is being developed in phases, with the build phase now underway, and beta testing expected to occur in the 2025-26 cotton season. Services will roll out progressively as the platform is built and tested, with full functionality targeted for 2028.
- View the platform fact sheet: An overview of the project.
- View the timeline: Track our progress and milestones.
- FAQs: Find answers to common questions.
