The Brazilian delegation aims to strengthen the cotton trade in the Indian market. Currently, Brazil is the largest cotton exporter in the world. 

From February 19th to 23rd, a Brazilian delegation consisting of cotton farmers and exporters will visit the main textile hubs in India. The aim is to strengthen trade relations between the countries. In the 2023/24 marketing year, Brazil became the world’s largest exporter of cotton.  

This initiative is run by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa). This organization represents cotton farmers and is responsible for “Cotton Brazil”, an international program for Brazilian cotton.  

“India is the world’s second largest consumer of cotton and has the second largest textile industry in the world. It is a priority country for us and we want to optimize our trade partnership potential”, commented Mr. Celestino Zanella, vice president of Abrapa. Mr. Zanella is one of the members of the delegation that will visit Coimbatore and Mumbai.  

Home to the second largest textile industry in the world, India is also the second largest producer and consumer of cotton. Despite the size of the Indian market, however, Brazil exported only 8,000 tonnes to India in the 2023/24 marketing year.  

Cotton Brazil’s focus is to widen this trade – something which is already happening. In the first six months of the 2024/25 marketing year, 95 thousand tonnes were exported to India. This represents an increase of more than 955% from one season to the next.  

Schedule. The Brazilian delegation will first go to Coimbatore to hold meetings with local consultants and with the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA). The schedule includes a technical visit to SCM Textile Spinners as well as the “Cotton Brazil Outlook” seminar which will be held there. This event, promoted by Abrapa, will display the latest status of the Brazilian crop and the export prospects for cotton in 2025. 

The group will then head to Mumbai. There a meeting will be held with the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) together with a further edition of the “Cotton Brazil Outlook” seminar. The activities also include attending the Global Textile Technology & Engineers Show, where the Brazilian delegation will meet with business groups such as Welspun Living and Reliance India Limited.  

Cotton Brazil. The Cotton Brazil program is run by Abrapa in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), a Brazilian government agency responsible for promoting foreign trade. The program has the support of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea).