A delegation comprising members of Abrapa, Anea and Apex-Brasil aims to strengthen trade ties with the two countries during visits taking place between May 12th and May 19th 

A year and four months after Egypt opened up its market to Brazilian cotton, the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa) will begin Cotton Brazil’s fifth international mission in 2024 in Egypt. From May 12th to 19th, a delegation of 12 Brazilian representatives will take part in the “Egypt-Türkiye Mission”. 

The Cotton Brazil program represents the Brazilian cotton production chain on a global scale. This program was conceived by Abrapa and is run in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brasil) and the National Association of Cotton Exporters (Anea). 

Cotton Brazil’s priority countries include Egypt and Türkiye. As Egypt is a newer trading partner, the schedule there will be longer. “We want to understand the needs of the Egyptian market a little better, meet the main players and establish a dialogue with the main representative organizations in the sector,” explained Abrapa President, Alexandre Schenkel. 

Mr. Schenkel will coordinate the delegation, which, in addition to Abrapa representatives, will include directors and technicians from Anea, Apex-Brasil and the Bahia State Cotton Growers Association (Abapa). 

The schedule begins on the 14th (Tuesday) when the delegation meets with the Cotton Arbitration and Testing General Organization (CATGO) in Alexandria. CATGO is Egypt’s most important arbitration and cotton testing organization for both exports and imports. On the same day, the Brazilians will hold meetings with the leaders of the Alexandria Cotton Exporters Association (Alcotexa). 

In Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on the 15th (Wednesday) an edition of the “Cotton Brazil Outlook” seminar will be held, in which both the current status of the 2024 Brazilian crop and the prospects for the 2025 crop will be presented. The Egypt agenda ends on the 16th (Thursday), with a technical visit to spinning mills, the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and the Cotton Research Centre. 

On the 17th (Friday), the Brazilian group heads to Antalya, Türkiye. Here, another edition of “Cotton Brazil Outlook” seminar will be held for a select audience of industrialists, executives and investors. The delegation will then return to Brazil. 

Numbers

Globally recognized for high-quality cotton, Egypt has been facing a downward trend in both acreage and yields over the past 15 years. For this reason, it has increased its imports.  

In the 2022/23 season, the country bought 99.5 tonnes from Brazil. From August 2023 to March 2024, the volume went up to 8,521 tonnes – so in these eight months imports of Brazilian cotton increased 85-fold compared to the 12 months of the previous market year.  

Türkiye, on the other hand, invests in imports to supply its thriving fabrics industry – being the fourth largest exporter of clothing in the world. In the 2022/23 season, the country was the fifth largest importer of cotton worldwide, buying 165,000 tonnes of Brazilian cotton. This amount represents a market share for Brazil of 18% of the total.