Feathers
International prices spur increases
intheareasdevotedtocottoninthe2017/18growingseason:
cropwillshineovernolessthan30.8millionhectares
T
he prevalence of good inter-
national cotton prices in the
2016/17 growing season has in-
duced the farmers to expand
the area cultivatedwith cotton in
the 2017/18 season, particularly in all major
growingregions.TheInternationalCoffeeAd-
visoryCommittee(ICAC),estimatestheplant-
ed area at 30.8 million hectares in the new
cropyear, up5%fromlast year.
The expectation is for global production
torise3.6%toatotalof23.58milliontonsoffi-
ber, according to ICACsources. In Indiaalone,
leading global producer, the planted area is
expected to amount to 11.3million hectares,
up 7% fromthe previous season. This is hap-
pening because productivity was excellent
andthefarmersfetchedbetterpricesfortheir
crop, and now hope for a repeat of the good
prices during the commercialization season.
The projection is for the average productivity
rates tokeeponaparwith thepast fiveyears,
resulting into a 3-percent bigger crop, reach-
ingalmost sixmillion tonsof lint.
And the area devoted to cotton in China,
after registering decreases in the past five sea-
sons, is likely to expand by 3% to 2.9 million
hectares,arealitythatstemsfromthefactthat
thegovernmenthasenactedapolicythatsets
stability parameters to the prices, while the
higher international prices fetched last year
have also a say in it. The Chinese crop is sup-
posedtosoar1%,to4.8milliontons,thanksto
thebiggerplantedarea,asnoalterationsinthe
productivityratesareexpected.
The rising trend is equally a fact in the
United States, where the area devoted to
the crop should reach 4.3 million hectares,
up 12% from the previous season. Average
productivity should reach 938 kilograms per
hectare,withthecropamountingto4million
tons, up8%fromtheprevious year.
Contrary to the big fiber producers, Uz-
bekistan is going to reduce its cultivation
by 4%, to 1.2millionhectares. The initiative
is associatedwith theplanof the that coun-
try’s government to reduce the planted ar-
eas in regions where production costs are
high andproductivity rates low, anddevote
these lands to other agricultural crops with
high domestic demand or crops for the in-
ternational market.
The decision will not substantially af-
fect the production of this country, seeing
that the forecast for abundant moisture
levels, with timely rainfalls, could improve
average productivity per area by 1%, to 638
kilograms per hectare. Uzbekistan is sup-
posed toharvest 770 thousand tons, adrop
of 2% from last year.
andsequins
n
n
n
Southern Hemisphere
Projecting in anticipation a possible fall in cotton prices at the beginning of the 2017/18 season, the Southern Hemisphere
should keep under strict control the expansion of the area devoted to cotton. The Brazilian and Australian fields are supposed to
soar by 2%, to 950 thousand hectares, and 3%, to 574 thousand hectares, respectively. The Brazilian crop is estimated at 1.4 mil-
lion tons, according to ICAC sources, while the crop in Australia will go up 4%, to one million tons.
Sílvio Ávila
36
