Series of webinars seeks to strengthen relationships with countries that buy cotton.  

 A series of virtual meetings about Brazilian cotton, the Cotton Brazil Outlook, continued on February 2 as the Turkish textile industry experienced a chance to learn more about the quality of our lint. The event was promoted by the Cotton Brazil initiative and led by Abrapa (Brazilian Cotton Growers Association) in partnership with Anea (Brazilian Cotton Shippers Association) and Apex- Brazil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency). 

Starting in December 2020, virtual meetings have been held with businesspeople from China, India, Vietnam, and South Korea, and there are plans for similar exchanges with Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Thailand. The events connect authorities and specialists from Brazil with local textile leaders who receive valuable information about Brazilian cotton, including its intrinsic characteristics and data about the latest crop. 

After a brief opening by Marcelo Duarte, Director of International Relations, and Júlio Cézar Busato, President of Abrapa, the Brazilian ambassador to Turkey, Carlos Martins Ceglia, stressed the importance of a strengthened tie between the two countries. 

Turkish market expected to increase 

According to the ambassador, Brazil is an important ally of Turkey in the textile segment, as exports to the country grew from 32 thousand tons in the 2010/2011 season to over 200 thousand tons in 2019/2020. This represents about 10% of the total amount of cotton purchased by the country. “This is, without a doubt, a very positive trend. I think that Brazil and Turkey have a very strategic partnership in this segment, as the Turkish industry will increasingly need cotton and Brazil is a reliable partner”. 

Representing the Turkish industry at the event, the director of Grupo Bossa, Alper Deniz, stressed the importance of certifications. “Brands are increasingly demanding this, they want to produce with certified, sustainable cotton. BCI already exists worldwide, but I believe that together we can make ABR better known in the market, as sustainability has become an extremely important topic globally”, he says. 

And to highlight the constant search for process improvements, the president of Abrapa, Júlio Cézar Busato, recalled that in the last three years, when exports grew exponentially, efforts have focused on transparency. “We expect that by the next season buyers will have unrestricted access to all figures and data through SBRHVI and SAI”, he explained. 

The webinar also featured presentations by Júlio Cézar Busato, President of Abrapa; Edson Mizoguchi, Abrapa’s Quality Manager; Carlos Moresco, Brazilian cotton grower; Henrique Snitcovski, President of Anea; and Marcelo Duarte, Director of International Relations at Abrapa. 

At the end of the meeting there was a rich questions and answers session, in which technical aspects including quality, production forecasts, the importance of sustainability certifications, and logistics were discussed. 

The Cotton Brazil Outlook – Turkey was held by Abrapa in partnership with Anea and Apex-Brasil, with support from the Brazilian Embassy in Ancara and the Brazilian Consulate in Istambul. 

About Cotton Brazil 

The Cotton Brazil initiative was launched at the end of 2020 to promote Brazilian cotton in the global market, and is the result of 20 years of constant innovation, research, and investments in industry improvements.  

Led by Abrapa (Brazilian Cotton Growers Association) in partnership with Anea (Brazilian Cotton Shippers Association) and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), Cotton Brazil encompasses actions including a physical presence in Asia with the opening of an office in Singapore; a larger digital presence through a website in nine languages ​​and social media efforts; relationship marketing programs; events; market intelligence; buyers and sellers missions; strategic research and partnerships. 

To learn more, visit: www.cottonbrazil.com