Thailand and Bangladesh are countries that are expected to increase their consumption of Brazilian cotton in the coming years. With this in mind, Cotton Brazil, the brand that represents the Brazilian cotton chain on the globe and is managed  organized by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa), sent a delegation on a Mission from May 22 to 26, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ApexBrasil.  

“Brazilian companies and governments are increasingly focused on the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). There are enormous opportunities in this market of almost 700 million people”, said Mr. Marcelo Duarte, director of International Relations at Abrapa, who was part of the mission, and which also had the support of the Brazil-Thailand Chamber of Commerce.  

For two days in the Thai capital, Bangkok, business people and representatives from governments and associations held meetings and technical visits with entities and companies from the relevant sectors. Thailand imports approximately 1% of Brazilian cotton exports. 

The delegation went on to spend two days in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This country imported 166,000 tonnes of cotton from Brazil last year despite being the second largest exporter of cotton fibre in the world. “Brazil has only 13% of the market share in Bangladesh, and by holding talks and getting an understanding of the market we can expand our space in the region”, said Marcelo Duarte.  

The Cotton Brazil program was set up in 2019 by Abrapa to promote Brazilian cotton on a global scale. The initiative is a partnership with Apex-Brasil with support from Anea.