Information about the quality of Brazilian cotton was presented to Chinese and South Korean business executives during the Seller’s Mission held between April 17th and 25th and organized by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa). The first event, held in Shanghai, was the Cotton Brazil Outlook which presented statistics in relation to cotton production in Brazil.  

“Executives from the Chinese textile industry attended the event which also counted on the presence of the Brazilian ambassador to China, Mr. Augusto Pestana. There was a high level of guest participation. We showed good examples of traceability and the audience was enthusiastic, showing growing trust in the production of Brazilian cotton”, summed up Mr. Alexandre Schenkel, president of Abrapa.  

The event participants also learned about the Brazilian Cotton Quality Program, developed in partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and Abrapa. This program certifies cotton bales that meet the requirements of the international fiber quality verification standard. The Chinese market will be the first to receive bales certified by the program in the 2023/24 season. 

Mission in South Korea.

In addition to the presentation events, visits were made to Asian companies such as Bros Eastern, specialized in the manufacture and sale of yarn and located in Ningbo. “We had already visited the company before, but this time we noticed that they are more confident about Brazilian cotton. We have gained credibility”, said Mr. Schenkel.  

On a visit to a cotton trading company in the province of Tongshou, the Brazilian delegation was able to personally present a T-shirt traced from end to end by the SouABR program. “It was very important to show the Chinese executives that that T-shirt contains cotton produced by nine farmers, and to show which spinning mill the yarn was made at, where it was manufactured and the brand that created the item. This is real traceability and it made a good impression”, added Abrapa’s president.  

Chinese textile industry leaders and Cotton Brazil team

The second Cotton Brazil Outlook event was held in Zhengzhou. The Abrapa delegation also visited the Chinese state-owned companies Chinatex and CNCGC, which are the largest cotton purchasing companies in China. There was also a visit to the China National Cotton Exchange (CNCE), an organization that unites thousands of cotton buyers in the country. 

“We shared information about Brazilian cotton and all the companies we visited really liked it. Chinatex and CNCGC pointed out the need to improve the standardization of lots. As for logistics, we talked about the ABR-Log program which starts this year with the certification of transportation practices between the cotton gins and shipment at the ports”, explained Mr. Marcelo Duarte, director of International Relations at Abrapa and responsible for the Cotton Brazil program and for this mission. 

Further to this, the third Cotton Brazil Outlook event was held in Beijing, and attracted Chinese businessmen and the Brazilian ambassador to China, Mr. Marcos Galvão. 

The Seller’s Mission concluded its program in Asia with the Cotton Brazil Outlook event held in Seoul, South Korea. A partnership with the Korea Spinners and Weavers Association (Swak), the local textile industry association, brought the main leaders in the Korean sector to the Cotton Brazil Outlook event. In addition, the Brazilian ambassador to South Korea, Ms. Marcia Donner, and the Apex-Brasil representative in Asia, Mr. Rodrigo Gedeon, emphasised the quality of the work done by the Brazilian cotton producers. 

“Brazil has come a long way in a short time. And there is still great potential for expansion of the growing area and increasing yields, which, in turn, will increase export capacity”, pointed out Mr. Miguel Faus, president of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea).  

The Seller’s Mission is part of the scope of the Cotton Brazil program created in 2019 by Abrapa to promote Brazilian cotton on a global scale. The initiative is a partnership with Apex-Brasil with support from Anea.