Compensation
Though the planted area has receded,
thesizeoftheBraziliancottoncropshouldsoaronaccountof
productivity,whichwillbehigher,thankstofavorableweatherconditions
B
razilian cotton farmers will put
into practice the popular jargon
that more is less, making refer-
ence to the simplicity of actions
that generate results. Though re-
ducing the planted area, the sector is going to
harvest more lint and, thanks to productivity,
recover the profit margins of the past. In the
2015/16 crop year, the fields in Mato Grosso
kept their productivity unaltered, contrary to
the Northeast, where adverse climate condi-
tions took a heavy toll on the crop. The farm-
erslostmoney.
In the 2016/17 growing season, the cul-
tivated area will drop 1.6% throughout the
Country, totaling 939.7 thousand hectares,
according to the National Food Supply Agen-
cy (Conab). BrunoNogueira, analyst at this or-
gan, has it that theminor reduction inplanted
area is a reflection of the picture of tight sup-
plyanddemand, disconnected fromthepres-
sure of the foreign scenario to lower prices at
planting time, in contradiction with the rising
productioncosts.
Conab officials were projecting an even
n
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n
Weaving the resumption
The partial enthusiasm is the same in the textile segment. Cervone, president of the Brazilian Apparel and Textile Industry Associa-
tion(Abit)projectsmarketgrowthin2017andthepossiblecreationof10thousandjobopportunities,whichwouldpartiallyrecoverthe
losses of 2015 and 2016, when 30 thousand jobpositionswere lost. Themore solidbases of the Brazilian economy, the control of infla-
tion and the resumption of growth are among the factors listed by the official for the steps forward.
In 2016, revenue from the textile sector and clothing industry amounted to US$ 39.3 billion, of which, US$ 2.38 billion represent
clothing exports, without including cotton fiber. In all, clothing pieces amounted to 6.7 billion, socks, accessories, bedding, tablecloth
and bath linen produced in 2016, a bigger volume than in 2015, produced by 32 thousand formal industries. In 2017, despite some po-
litical unrest, the expectation is for these numbers to be outstripped.
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n
Performance
WiththeperformanceprojectedforBrazil,theInternationalCottonAdvisoryCommit-
tee (ICAC) has it that Brazilwill keep its relevant position in theworld. Braziliancottonen-
joys big strategic and competitive edges, due to the geographic location, to the volume
of supply and demand and, equally, to the quality of the fiber. According to ICAC’s rank-
ing, Brazil is the fifth biggest producer, coming after India, China, the United States and
Pakistan. Among thebiggest global fiber consumers, Brazil occupies theeighthposition.
fordamages
Sílvio Ávila
smaller area for the period, but the new sce-
nario of higher domestic prices and favorable
weather conditions during the crop develop-
ment stages ended up encouraging the cot-
ton farmers to take advantageof the available
seeds,inputsandlands.Itisthebiggestcotton
growing region inBrazil, theCenter-West, that
dictates the trend,where theexpectation for a
smaller planted area endedupwith a 3.3-per-
centincreaseinplantedarea.
This reversal of the scenario compared
to the previous year, relies on the support by
Mato Grosso, where plantings will soar 4.5%.
The State managed to take advantage of the
good prices in the domesticmarket stemming
fromthecropfailureinBahiaandNortheastern
States, and this has an influence on the jump
from600.8 thousand to628 thousandhectares
in the crop year (4.5%). The climate has been
responsible for the development of the cotton
treesinthesummerandwintercrops.
The climate and the high technology em-
ployed by professional cotton farming are re-
sponsible for the newseason to harvest a vol-
ume 15.5% higher compared to the previous
year, reaching 3.724 million tons of seed cot-
ton, or 1.488million tons of fiber. Productivity
should go up 17.4%, from 1,350 to 1,584 kilo-
grams of fiber per hectare, and from 3,378 to
3,964 kilogramsofseedcottonperhectare.
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