Sep 27, 2021
Brazil's Cotton Production Could Increase 20% in 2021/22
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The 2020/21 cotton harvest in Brazil is complete and the production ended up being lower than what had been expected. According to the Brazilian Cotton Producers Association (Abrapa), a combination of lower acreage and dry weather resulted in a production of 2.32 million tons.
Just two years ago, Brazil produced approximately 3.0 million tons of cotton. The biggest problem for the 2020/21 crop was dry weather in Mato Grosso and Goias at the end of the growing season. The 2020/21 crop was planted later than normal in Mato Grosso due to the delayed soybean harvest and it then encountered dry weather before maturing. On the positive side, the fiber quality for the 2020/21 crop was very good, better than in previous years.
In their first evaluation of the 2021/22 Brazilian cotton crop, Abrapa estimates that the cotton acreage will increase 12.6% to 1.53 million hectares and cotton production will increase 20.3% to 2.79 million tons.
Mato Grosso is the largest cotton producing state in Brazil followed by Bahia and Goias. The cotton in Mato Grosso is planted as a second crop after the soybeans are harvested. Cotton planting in Mato Grosso will start in January and the ideal planting window will close by the end of January.
In the state of Bahia, cotton is planted as a full-season crop and planting will start in December.