The Cotton Brazil program, run by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa), was yesterday (9th) handed the ApexBrasil-Exame Award: Best of International Business 2024. The international promotion program for Brazilian cotton competed with more than 50 organizations in the “Image” category.  

“This award is important recognition of this historic year, in which Abrapa completed 25 years of existence and Brazil became the world’s largest cotton exporter. We are highly honored,” said the association’s president, Alexandre Schenkel.  

The ApexBrasil-Exame Awards are held by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and the Exame News magazine portal. 

Set up in 2019, Cotton Brazil is run in partnership with ApexBrasil with the support of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea). Its main aim is to position Brazilian cotton in the competitive global market. The program prioritizes ten countries that account for 90.7% of total global cotton imports: Bangladesh, China, South Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.  

This work is carried out by Abrapa’s representative office in Singapore, linked to the association’s International Relations department. In addition to trade missions, events, market intelligence and integrated communication, Cotton Brazil maintains a relationship network with Brazilian agricultural attachés from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and diplomats and ambassadors linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE).  

In the 2023/24 marketing year, which ended in July, Brazil exported 2.7 million tonnes of cotton (28% of the amount exported worldwide). This meant that Brazil reached the top of global ranking, with an increase of 85% compared to the previous marketing year.