Brazil’s cotton exports soar and sales to China beat domestic consumption

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s cotton exports reached 115,243 tons in May, up 66% year-on-year and a new record for the month, amid strong Chinese demand for the Brazilian lint, reported the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (ABRAPA) on Thursday.

According to ABRAPA, the May shipments led the accumulated of the 2020/21 season to outperform the entire preceding cycle before the current crop year ends (in June), with China importing  more than the annual Brazilian consumption in the period.

According to the Ministry of Economy’s foreign trade system data compiled by the association, shipments of the fiber totaled 2.235 million tons to this point in 2020/21, a figure 23% higher than in the full 2019/20.

ABRAPA said that China, Brazil’s largest cotton importer, purchased 23,700 tons in May, surpassing the 700,000 tons mark imported in 2020/21, 22% more than in the same period last year.

The association highlighted that exports to China this business year currently exceed the consumption of Brazil’s textile industries, estimated by the state-owned CONAB (National Supply Company), at 680,000 tons in 2020/21.

According to the entity, the Chinese accounted for 31% of the total volume exported by Brazil in 2020/21 so far.

“We are strengthening our partnerships with entities that represent the Chinese textile sector precisely to maintain this pace in our foreign trade,” ABRAPA president Júlio Busato said in a statement.

In addition to China, the entity highlighted Vietnam, with a 17% share in Brazilian exports, and Pakistan, accounting for 12%, among the largest clients.