Brazilian cotton is produced under some very strict parameters of environmental, economic, and social responsibility. Due to constant investment in infrastructure, training, and quality, the country not only has one of the best kinds of cotton in the world, but it may also soon become the number one producer and exporter.
According to the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (ABRAPA), by 2022, Brazil will overtake the United States as the largest global exporter of cotton lint and may overtake India as the largest producer in the coming years.
In the 1990s, Brazil was the world’s second-largest importer of cotton. Today, the country ranks second among exporters and accounts for 25% of the global cotton trade.
Going greener
Brazil is the country that has the highest world dryland yield average, with 1,802 kg of lint per hectare. Currently, around 92% of the country’s cotton production area does not use artificial irrigation.
ABRAPA has data showing that more than 80% of the Brazilian production has socio-environmental certification, generates jobs, and contributes to a conscious economy. Around 36% of the sustainable cotton consumed in the world is grown in Brazilian farms.
Last year, the Responsible Brazilian Cotton program was expanded to encompass cotton ginning plants. They started to be audited based on the same principles as farms – sustainability around its social, environmental, and economic pillars.
With the certification of ginning plants, Brazil is moving towards a complete audit process of its entire cotton production chain.