Euphoria Among Brazilian Cotton Farmers Over Growing Output
There is a sense of euphoria among Brazilian cotton producers and exporters as cotton production is growing, yields are now among the highest in the world and export sales too are soaring.
This euphoria comes in the backdrop of a sharp fall in domestic cotton consumption due to the worsening situation in the Brazilian textile and garment industry.
Cotton consumption by the Brazilian textile and clothing industry, which used to be around one million tons per year at the beginning of 2000’s, has now dropped sharply to 700,000 tons per annum.
A United States Ministry of Agriculture (USDA) report of December 2023 said that Brazil is now the third largest cotton producer in the world, behind China and India.
According to USDA, for several decades, the US has led in cotton exports to China, until Brazil, which had been practically tied with the US took the lead and became the biggest global exporter of cotton.
Consuming 2.1 million tons more than it produces, China is also the world’s largest importer of cotton.
As Brazil has been producing 3.17 million tons per year in recent harvests and as domestic consumption is reduced, Brazilian cotton exports are expected to remain steady at 2.4 million tons per harvest.
The top cotton importing countries include China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia.
An expert averred that Brazil reported a record productivity in cotton production in the 2023-24 season due to the perfect rainfall across the rainy season
He also expects the 2024-25 cotton season cultivated area to be the highest in history, and that the state of Mato Grosso will continue to lead with 75 percent of the cotton planted area in Brazil.on
