This week, the Brazilian cotton logistics chain held the 1st Santos Cotton Day meeting to outline joint strategies to improve cotton logistics and shipping. The aim is to continue increasing shipment volumes and efficiency in the coming years. This includes improving stuffing quality, meeting deadlines and buyers’ requirements. 

The event was promoted by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa) in the Auditorium of the Santos Commercial Association (ACS), in Santos (São Paulo). The audience consisted of more than 150 professionals, including growers, traders, port and retroport terminal operators, shipping lines, service providers and authorities.  

“We need to ensure that our cotton reaches the consumer, on the other side of the world, on time and in the right conditions. Even with the introduction of alternative ports, such as Salvador and Paranaguá, Santos will continue to be the main player and needs to be looked at carefully”, said Abrapa’s CEO, Marcio Portocarrero.  

Santos is the largest cotton shipping port in the world. Currently, 95% of Brazilian cotton shipments leave from Santos. This means 110 to 120 thousand containers per year, or about 9 thousand per month, moving around 2.7 million tonnes of cotton around the world. 

The 1st Santos Cotton Day addressed several topics including logistical challenges, harvest and export numbers, phytosanitary certification, container transport and customs processes.  

This is the third event on cotton logistics held in Santos since August 2023 when Abrapa delivered the first certificates of the Responsible Brazilian Cotton program for Retroport Cotton Terminals, ABR-LOG. This program provides socio-environmental certification of retroport terminals with an emphasis on quality. The main focus is on bale reception and storage, as well as container stuffing and shipping, so that the cotton reaches its final destination efficiently and unscathed.  

One outcome from the event was to create a working group to be set up in collaboration with the port authority to seek joint solutions for container issues at the Port of Santos. This work will begin at the end of November, with all the agricultural sectors that use containers for export. 

The 1st Santos Cotton Day is one of the activities run by Cotton Brazil which is an Abrapa program for the worldwide promotion of Brazilian cotton in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brasil) and with the support of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea). Hipercon Cargo Terminals sponsored the event.