Brazil has become the world’s largest cotton supplier by producing sustainable cotton with traceable quality and international certification.
These characteristics meet the needs of the global market and contribute to the expansion of markets, as explained by the President of Brazilian Cotton Producers Association (ABRAPA), Gustavo Viganó Piccoli.
“We created the Cotton Brazil program eight years ago, a partnership between Apex Brazil and ANEA. With an office in Asia, we were able to directly contact our clients on the Asian continent, demonstrating that we had sustainable, traceable cotton quality in sufficient volume to meet Asian cotton demand,” Piccoli said.
Through investments in technology and crop development, the Brazilian cotton sector has also demonstrated its capacity to meet international demand.
Currently, Brazil exports to around 30 countries. Bangladesh, China, and South Korea are the main destinations, followed by Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
“Through this work with the international market, we were able to demonstrate that we had a reliable production volume to meet the global demand for cotton throughout the year. This created confidence in the textile industry, which can now rely on Brazilian production,” Piccoli emphasized.
With this, the country became the world’s largest exporter of cotton, allowing it to surpass the United States in 2025 and establish itself in third place as the world’s largest producer.
Exports in 2025/26
Brazil closed the 2025/26 cotton marketing year with exports of 3,300 tons generating revenue of US $5.3 billion. This represents a 19% increase in the volume shipped compared to the same period of the previous marketing year.
During that period, China was the main buyer of Brazilian fiber, with 770,500 tons, accounting for approximately 23% of the total shipped.
Among other buyers, Bangladesh also stood out with growth of 173,200 tons in shipments.
Vietnam and Pakistan recorded the largest declines among the main destinations, with losses of 137,400 tons and 79,200 tons, respectively, according to the association.
Thus, Brazil ended the commercial year once again at the top of the world market as the largest exporter of the fibre.
During the previous cotton marketing year, the month of December was the main highlight as the month recorded the highest volume of cotton exported at 452,000 tons.
“Thanks to this quantity, with a robust production volume in Brazil, we are able to meet a growing global demand for cotton,” Piccoli emphasized.
ABRAPA, in partnership with state associations and cotton producers across the country, also began holding seminars and workshops aimed at improving production.
According to the organization, the goal is to provide producers with the best production techniques, management practices, varieties, and characteristics of cotton. Together, these factors guarantee quality to meet international demand.
Furthermore, ABRAPA created a reference laboratory in Brasília to ensure that different units responsible for cotton analysis in the country use the same evaluation standards. “Today, the classification of Brazilian cotton is reliable and traceable, which gives credibility and quality to Brazilian cotton fiber,” he highlighted.
Cotton traceability
Traceability technology is an achievement for Brazilian cotton that allows buyers, through a QR code label, to identify where the cotton was produced. This tool enables the commodity to be monitored throughout the supply chain, reinforcing the sustainability, quality, and certification attributes demanded by the market.
“From anywhere in the world, the buyer can identify the origin, ownership, cotton gin, and other details of the cotton. We follow end-to-end traceability all the way to the textile industry,” Piccoli highlighted.
Brazilian fibre
Over the years, Brazilian cotton fibers have reached levels of excellence and international recognition. “Brazilian cotton is recognized for its quality, which allows us to export to countries renowned for their industry, such as Egypt,” he emphasized.
According to the organization, Brazilian cotton has become a global benchmark by meeting the intrinsic characteristics of the fiber, namely length, thickness, and micronaire, attributes valued by the market.
Indian market
Brazilian cotton is primarily sold to the Asian market, where the major spinning mills and retail companies are located. Piccoli highlights these markets: “Those who choose Brazilian cotton are precisely the retailers and garment manufacturers, because the sector wants quality cotton.”
“Currently, Brazil is a major supplier to the main markets in the global textile industry. Furthermore, the country is expanding and growing its markets,” CNN Brazil reported.
We are certain that from now on, in a scenario where Indian consumers are familiar with the quality of Brazilian cotton, we will significantly increase exports there, especially since they have a large industrial base and a policy to boost the national textile industry,” he concluded.
Image courtesy: Morgan Ferrar
