Brazil is a major cotton producer, ranking 4th globally. Production has shifted to the Cerrado region, with Mato Grosso and Bahia now accounting for 80% of output. High yields are achieved through compact varieties, high plant densities, and intensive fertilizer and pesticide use. Sustainability initiatives like Better Cotton aim to reduce chemical inputs while maintaining productivity. The development of dwarf varieties and adoption of high-density planting systems like narrow rows and double cropping were key drivers of Brazil's transformation into an agricultural powerhouse for cotton.

1. COTTON CULTIVATION IN BRAZIL
SIDDU MALAKANNAVAR
PGS17AGR7312
Ph.D Scholar
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
UAS, Dharwad

2. Sequence of presentation
• Introduction
• Cotton Cultivation and Production in Brazil
• Cotton producing regions
• Brazil’s cotton crop calendar by State
• Climate
• Brazilian cotton farmers maintain leadership in the ranking of productivity
• Competitiveness of brazilian cotton depends on the rational use of fertilizers and
pesticides
• Yields and Technology
• Cost of cotton production in Mato Grosso, Brazil
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
• HDPS in Brazil
• The reasons for this transformation after the spatial shift in cotton areas
• Kranthi, (2012) made the following observations based on a visit to Brazil in April
2012
• Industrial consumption of cotton products in brazil

3. Introduction
• Brazil is one of the world’s leading cotton producers
• Since marketing year 2010/12, Brazil has ranked 5th among
world cotton producers, now its in 4th position (2017).
• Accounted for at least 5% of world cotton output
• Brazil has ranged from the world’s third largest exporter in
recent years, accounting for as much as 9% of global cotton
exports.
• Brazil competes with the United States in cotton markets in
Asia and Europe

4. Cotton production in Brazil
Source: ERS compilation based on various reports by Brazil’s National
Supply Company, Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB).

5. Average area, production and productivity of cotton in Brazil
Years Area
(000 ha)
Production
(metric tons)
Productivity
(kg/ha)
1971-1975 2290.6 557 242.4
1976-1980 2981.4 561.2 189.6
1981-1985 3189.6 758.2 236.6
1986-1990 2174 717.8 331
1991-1995 1333.6 503.6 385
1996-2000 784.2 575.6 723.2
2001-2005 923.6 1052.0 1136.2
2006-2010 1048.8 1517.2 1443.8
2010-2011 1400 1960 1400
2011-2012 1393 1877 1347
2012-2013 894 1275 1426
Source: Cotton: World statistics Bulletin of ICAC, Sept 2013

6. Production Statistics by State (2017/18)

7. • In 2014-2015, Brazil exported cotton to 35 countries,
• Three of which concentrated nearly 60% of overall sales
volume:
• Indonesia (22.4%)
• South Korea (19.0%)
• China (18.2 %)
• Indonesia has been the foremost buyer of cotton lint from
Brazil
Export of brazil cotton

8. Main destinations of Brazilian cotton exports

9. Cotton contributes significantly to Brazil’s agricultural
output and foreign exchange earnings.
• In 2014, the value of cotton production reached $3.5 billion,
representing 3 percent of the country’s total agricultural
output.
• Annually, over 6,800 farms are involved in cotton production
on about 800,000 to 1 million hectares (IBGE, 2014).
• Cotton exports valued at $685 million in 2012 represented 1.5
percent of Brazil’s agricultural exports (GTIS, 2014).
• Brazil is also one of the world’s largest consumers of cotton
fiber, ranking fifth in consumption since 2014 and accounting
for about 4 percent of world use.

10. Cotton Cultivation in Brazil
• Brazil is endowed with a large arable area with regional
differences in climate, topography, soil, and natural
vegetation. The timing of cotton planting and harvesting can
therefore differ widely between states and regions, and
extends throughout much of the year on a national basis.
• Cotton planting in the Center-West State of Mato Grosso
starts in December and harvests begin in June. In the
Southeastern State of São Paulo, planting is in October and
harvest in March/May. In Mato Grosso and Bahia, the planting
of a second crop (called safrinha) takes place around
February/March, usually double-cropped with soybeans or
corn.

11. Brazil’s cotton crop calendar by State
Region/State Planting Harvesting
Northeast
Bahia November-December June-July
Center-West
Goiás November-December June-July
Mato Grosso do Sul November-December June-July
Mato Grosso December-January June-August
Southeast
Minas Gerais November-December May-July
São Paulo October-Novembe March-July
South
Paraná September-November March-May
Source: ERS compilation based on various reports by Brazil’s National
Supply Company, Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB).

12. • In 1990, most of Brazil’s production took place in the South
and Southeast. Since then, cotton production has shifted to
Brazil’s interior.
• Mato Grosso and Bahia now account for about 80 percent of
Brazil’s cotton production.
• Mato Grosso and the major cotton-growing areas of Bahia lie
within the vast area of the Cerrados
• Which consists primarily of savannahs and grasslands and
occupies 197 million hectares, or about 23 percent of Brazil’s
land.

13. Cotton producing regions (share of production), 1990 and 2009,
and area of Cerrados (inset)
Source: IGBE & ERS calculations based on data
from CONAB

14. REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF BRAZILIAN PRODUCTION
OF SEED COTTON

15. Climate
• The region is characterized by soil, temperature, and rainfall
patterns that, with the appropriate technology, are ideally suited
to high-yielding cotton production.
• Temperatures in Mato Grosso and cotton growing area have monthly
means that remain in a narrow band throughout the year, 73-82o F
(23-28o C).
• The result is a long growing season—up to 210 days—that revolves
around the timing of monsoonal rains.
• From October to March, average monthly precipitation ranges from
4 to 8 inches, before tapering off to virtually zero in July, the peak
harvest month
• The combination of regular rainfall throughout the growing season
and sandy, well-drained soils means yields for rainfed cotton in the
Cerrados surpass irrigated yields in many parts of the world.

16. Brazilian Cotton Farmers Maintain Leadership In The Ranking Of
Productivity Among The Major Producing Countries.
• Despite the global increase in cotton production, there was a no
significant increase in the area used for cotton crops, which
increased from 31 million hectares in 1965 to 35 million hectares in
2015, i.e., only 6.5% in 50 years.
• However, to justify the increase in production, one must observe
productivity of cotton lint, which increased from 365 kg/hectare in
1965 to 1410 kg/hectare in 2014
• This leap in productivity was mainly due to the excellent results
achieved by plant breeding programs of several species of cotton
and intensive increase in the use of fertilizers, pesticides and
mechanization.
• according to Usda projections for the 2013/2014 season, the
Brazilian average will be even higher than in 2009/2010, rising to
1,457 kg/hectare, while the global rate is expected to remain at
751.5 kg/hectare.

17. Cotton yields in Brazil, the United States, India, and world average, 1990-2009

18. Investments in long-fiber cultivars help to strengthen brazilian
cotton in the ongoing pursuit of higher quality.
• The main advantage in producing these types of fibers is the
increase in the amount paid for the raw cotton, which in the
case long fibers, is around 15%, and for extra-long fibers,
more than 100%.
• Starting in 2012, through a strong program of plant breeding,
Brazil is preparing to make new long-fiber cultivars available
to producers to plant in the cerrado (Brazilian savannas),
which will allow more profitable exploitation of niche markets
in the short term.

19. COMPETITIVENESS OF BRAZILIAN COTTON DEPENDS ON THE RATIONAL
USE OF FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES.

20. COMPETITIVENESS OF BRAZILIAN COTTON DEPENDS ON THE RATIONAL
USE OF FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES.
• There are 20 pests of economic importance to cotton farmers in Brazil, as well as 5
occasional pests, plus 15 diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes
(Freire, 2011)
• Growers often make up 30 applications of pesticides in a growing season,
most of which are directed against aphids, caterpillars and boll weevils

21. Yields and Technology
• Although soil conditions in the cotton growing area
like Cerrados were initially very poor, advances in soil
technology and the development of new crop
varieties have enabled higher cotton yields in the
region. Brazil’s cotton yields—which remained mostly
flat from 1960 until the mid-1990s—began to rise
rapidly after 1996/97.

22. • When major cotton producing countries like the United States,
China, Australia, and India adopted the use of genetically modified
(GM) cotton in the early 1990s, Brazilian officials resisted.
• Although not scientifically based, Brazil’s main objection against GM
varieties in Brazil was that such genes could be transferred across
similar species, posing potential hazards to human, plant and
ecosystem health.
• Much of the argument was, however, politically based. With
mounting pressure from Brazil’s cotton industry lobbyists and with
increasing evidence of the cost savings and yield benefits of Bt
cotton production
• Brazilian officials have begun to liberalize the use of GM cotton
seeds.
• The legal introduction of GM cotton was delayed until 2005, and
the first year of widespread legal plantings was the 2006/07 crop
year.

23. Cost of conventional cotton production in Mato Grosso, Brazil, 2010/11

24. Sustainability has a major role on the current agenda of the
brazilian cotton sector
• Reducing applications of pesticides and fertilizers is in line with another
major challenge that the cotton industry has faced: the pursuit of
sustainability. First of all, reduction of costs is critical for the balance of the
economic pillar of sustainability.
• Adidas, whose strategic planning includes the goal of consuming 40%
cotton certified by the Better Cotton Initiative by 2015 and 100% by 2018
(Francisco et al., 2011).

25. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
• BCI exists to make global cotton production better
for the people who produce it, better for the
environment it grows in, and better for the sector’s
future.
• BCI connects people and organizations from across
the cotton sector, from field to store, to promote
measurable and continuing improvements for the
environment, farming communities and the
economies of cotton producing areas.
• The Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS) is a
holistic approach to sustainable cotton production
which covers all three pillars of sustainability:
environmental, social and economic
• The Better Cotton P&C were first developed in 2010
on the basis of input and consultations with Regional
Working Groups in Brazil, India, Pakistan and West
and Central Africa; Advisory Committee members;
Better Cotton Partners; experts, critical friends and
public consultation.

27. • The Better Cotton Principles and Criteria (P&C) are a
critical component of the BCSS. This practice-based
standard forms the global definition of Better Cotton. By
adhering to these principles, BCI Farmers produce cotton
in a way that is measurably better for the environment
and farming communities. The P&C provides rules and
guidance to farmers participating in BCI programmes on
how to reach BCI social and environmental sustainability
objectives.

28. Overview of Better Cotton Principles

29. HDPS in Brazil
• The manipulation of row spacing, plant density and the spatial
arrangements of cotton plants, for obtaining higher yield
• The most commonly tested plant densities range from 5 to 15
plants/m2 (Kerby et. Al. 1990) resulting in a population of 50000 to
150000 plants/ha.
• The concept on high density cotton planting, more popularly called
Ultra Narrow Row (UNR) cotton was initiated by Briggs et. Al. (1967).
• UNR cotton has row spacings as low as 20 cm and plant population on
the range of 2 to 2.5 lakh plants/ha, while conventional cotton is
planted in rows 90 to 100 cm apart.
• The availability of compact genotypes, acceptance of weed and pest
management technologies, development of stripper harvesting
machines and widespread application of growth regulators have made
these high density cotton production systems successful in brazil

30. The reasons for this transformation after the spatial shift in
cotton areas
• In 1989 the Grupo Itamarti and Embarpa Algodao established a public
private partnership to intensify research and make cotton production
viable.
• This first success of this partnership was the development of CNPA ITA 90
an early a dwarf and compact genotype. CNPA ITA 90 was twice as
productive as traditional varieties and was amenable to high density
planting and mechanical picking.
• Suinaga (2003) attributed the development of cotton cultivation in
Cerrodos and rise in cotton productivity to this variety.
1
Venugopalan et al., 2014

31. Conventional and safrina system of cotton planting in Mato Grosso (Brazil)
Venugopalan et al., 2014
• Cotton producers in Mato Grosso and Gaias established a second crop cycle “Safrina” and
made soybean- cotton rotation possible
• Under this system, cotton is planted late (in mid February) after soybean. Cotton
producers in the mid west switched over to narrow row cotton (75cm spacing) which was
sown in January after the harvest of soybean. At this spacing, 10 plants / m row was found
to be optimum (Silva et.al. 2012).
2

32. • Growing conditions in Mato Grosso were found favorable for ultra-narrow
row (45 cm) spaced
• Safrina cotton and cotton growers invested in this technology (ABRAPA,
2009).
• Cotton Producers Association of Mato Grosso (AMPA) promoted this
venture in 2008-09, helped growers to import stripper type pickers and
sponsored research programmes at the Instituto Mato Grosso do Algodao-
IMAmt for developing management practices for high density cotton.
3

33. 4
• A Brazilian seed company MDM reported yield increase of 10-
20% with UNR cotton.
• The cost of production was significantly lowered.
• They also observed that a 30 day early closure of canopy
resulted in reduced weed competition, better light interception
• Increase in water use efficiency.
• With new short statured varieties, the row spacing could be
reduced to 45 cm.
4

34. Kranthi, (2012) made the following observations based on a visit
to Brazil in April 2012
• Cotton in Brazil is cultivated in 1.0 to 1.4 M hectares and the yields are high at 1500-
1800 kg lint per ha. Almost all of Brazil’s cotton is cultivated under rain-fed conditions.
• Higher productivity in Brazil was achieved through development of compact sympodial
varieties suited for high density planting geometry. High density planting with
specification of 90X10 cm and 76X10 cm is done with zero monopodial varieties.
• In some farms ultra-narrow-row planting with 45X10 cm spacing is used. Mepiquat
chloride is sprayed 3-4 times to arrest vegetative growth, which, otherwise hinders
higher productivity. High Density Planting method is practiced which enables higher
number of plants at 150,000 to 250,000 per hectare.
• Since soils are poor in fertility, high dose of fertilizers is applied to the extent of 150 kgs
each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, apart from additional applications of
gypsum, boron and sulphur.
• Extensive use of chemicals is made to check insect pest attack, application of insect
pests such as aphids, whiteflies, boll weevils and the fungal disease is common on
cotton and requires about 10-14 insecticide applications and 4-5 fungicide applications.
• Per hectare cost of cultivation is to the tune of US$ 2500-3000, a significant component
of which is consumed in use of high level of fertilizers and insecticides. Harvesting of
crop is done by using cotton pickers from John Deere, Chase companies.

35. • The Brazilian practices of cotton cultivation, i.e. high investment; high
mechanization and large scale farming are not possible to be emulated in
India due to small size of Indian agricultural holding and low capacity of
the farmers to invest. However, the narrow spacing between plants at 10
cm within a row, irrespective of the row to row spacing of 45, 76 or 90 cm
coupled with the use of plant growth regulators are important lessons for
Indian rain-fed cotton.

36. INDUSTRIAL CONSUMPTION OF COTTON PRODUCTS IN BRAZIL

37. Main industrial uses of cotton seeds in Brazil

38. Thank you