The Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa) successfully concluded another trade mission in Asia this Monday (16th). After a week with a busy agenda in China, the delegation consisting of Brazilian farmers and exporters from Abrapa, Ampa (the Mato Grosso Cotton Growers Association) and Abapa (the Bahia Cotton Growers Association) held business meetings and the “Cotton Brazil Outlook” seminar in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, aimed at promoting Brazilian cotton to local textile mills.

The event was held in partnership with the Spinners & Weavers Association of Korea (SWAK) and brought together 40 of the most important Korean industrialists. SWAK is the main South Korean textile industry organisation, accounting for around 84% of the country’s total cotton consumption and 95% of the cotton imported by the Asian country.

“The Korean market is very demanding and this approach to importers is essential. So much so that in the ten months of the 2024/25 market year, we have already sold more than the volume recorded over the whole 12 months of the 2023/24 market year”, commented the vice president of Abrapa, Celestino Zanella.

From August 2024 to May 2025, Brazil exported 38.03 thousand tonnes of cotton to the South Korean market – which means an increase of 12.7% compared with the amount achieved in the 2023/24 market year (33.73 thousand tonnes). In addition, from 2022/23 to 2023/24, there was an 18.4% increase in sales.

This scenario was one of the items addressed by Abrapa’s Director of International Relations, Marcelo Duarte, during the seminar. In his presentation, he showed the status of the current cotton crop in Brazil and the main differences in Brazilian cotton farming.

The president of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea), Miguel Faus, spoke about the scenario of Brazilian cotton exports. Also, a consultant specializing in the global textile market, Varun Vaid from Wazir Advisors, discussed the demand outlook for textiles and the role of cotton in the global fibre scenario.

The governor of the state of Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes, joined Abrapa during the Mission to promote Brazilian cotton in Seoul. The governor and his official delegation were present at the “Cotton Brazil Outlook” event and expressed their satisfaction with the work that Cotton Brazil is developing abroad. According to the governor, “the Cotton Brazil Outlook was a great opportunity for us to connect our agricultural production capacity in Brazil with the important Asian market, and especially South Korea. This event managed to bring together important international players with Brazilian farmers.”

Mauro Mendes’ presence during the Mission was essential to represent the state of Mato Grosso which is the largest cotton producing state in Brazil and plays an important part in Brazilian cotton exports. In the 2023/24 market year, Mato Grosso accounted for 63.4% of all shipments (1.69 million tonnes out of a total of 2.68 million tonnes).

In the market year (2024/25), which still has one month to go (July), Mato Grosso’s share increased to 63.6%. According to data from June 10th, cotton exports from Mato Grosso reached 1.62 million tonnes of the country total of 2.55 million tonnes.

In addition to the state governor, the Brazilian ambassador to South Korea, Márcia Donner Abreu, participated in the event held by Abrapa and SWAK.

The Asia Misson, which began in China and included a trip to Taipei (Taiwan), is part of the Cotton Brazil program, an Abrapa initiative in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brasil) and the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea). Its aim is to promote all the potential of Brazilian cotton on an international scale.