2024-09-10 12:07:38
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil has become the world’s largest producer and exporter of cotton, with a harvest of 3.7 million tons in the 2023-2024 season and exports of 2.6 million tons, the sector’s employers’ association announced today.
At an event in Comandatuba (Bahia state, northeast), during the 75th meeting of the Cotton and Derivatives Productive Chain, the National Association of Cotton Exporters (ANEA) of Brazil announced that the South American country surpassed the United States in exports for the first time, becoming a world leader in both production and exports.
According to ANEA itself, the forecast was to become the largest cotton exporter as early as 2030.
The Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa) welcomed the results of the current harvest, with 60 percent of the production fully marketed.
“Becoming a world leader in cotton fibre supply is a historic milestone, but it is not an end in itself, and it was not planned to happen so soon. We have been working continuously to perfect our processes, increasing our quality, traceability and sustainability every day, and consequently our efficiency,” stressed Abrapa President Alexandre Schenkel.
Abrapa attributes the good performance of producers to the interconnection between producers and the Brazilian textile industry. Despite strong competition from abroad, consumption of yarn and cotton is expected to increase from 750,000 tons to one million tons annually.
Brazilian exports have also recovered due to higher demand from countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, which bought less in the previous cycle due to financial difficulties in opening letters of credit. This rebound helped to exceed expectations.
Among the main markets for Brazilian cotton are China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Türkiye and Pakistan.