Brazilian shipments to India have grown more than 40-fold across two years and totaled 353,820 tons in the 2025/26 cotton season, accounting for 10% of overall cotton exports from Brazil in the season.
Brazil shipped an unprecedented 3.374 million tons of cotton during the 2025/26 marketing year, climbing 19% from 2.836 million tons from previous marketing year.
Export earnings likewise hit a fresh peak of $5.3 billion, according to the latest data released by Abrapa, the cotton association of Brazil
Asian spinners lead the charge
China stood as Brazil’s foremost buyer, taking in 770,523 tons, equivalent to 23% of total shipments. Bangladesh came next with 584,756 tons or 17%, whilst Türkiye absorbed 441,054 tons or 13%. Combined, these three destinations made up 53% of Brazilian shipments.
The wider Asian buying pattern carries equal weight. Pakistan brought in 414,340 tons, amounting to 12% of Brazilian shipments, whilst Vietnam purchased 393,206 tons again 12%.
July on its own yielded overseas shipments of 155,000 tons, climbing 21.8% against the prior year July and totaled $262.4 million. Bangladesh ranked as the top destination that month, trailed by Türkiye and Vietnam.
Growth in supply may stall
The record arrives as Brazil braces for a leaner 2026/27 harvest. Abrapa now projects 2.00 million hectares under cultivation in 2026/27 cotton marketing year 2026, a fall of 8%, with output pegged at 3.90 million tons, down 8.2% year on year. Average yield is forecast at 1,954 kg/ha.
Notwithstanding the drop in output, Brazil is tipped to hold its position as the world’s foremost cotton exporter in 2026/27, with shipments forecast at roughly 3.33 million tons.
A firmer substitute in cotton procurement
For Asian spinning operations, Brazil is emerging as a structurally more significant substitute to US, Australian and West African cotton.
Scale, steadily improving fibre consistency and traceability underpin this shift. Abrapa notes its Responsible Brazilian Cotton scheme spanned more than 80% of domestic output in 2024/25, backed by auditable environmental, labour and legal standards.
The next crucial indicator will be whether a tighter 2026/27 harvest sustains firmer Brazilian basis levels whilst mills across Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Vietnam keep expanding their buying.
