Brazil: Cotton and Products Annual

For 2022/23, Post forecasts cotton planted area to shrink 3 percent compared to the current season, to 1.55 million hectares. The Post forecast for 2022/23 cotton production is 12.6 million bales, or 2.74 million metric tons (MMT), down from 13 million bales (2.83 MMT) in 2020/21. Next season, planted area and production will likely remain below the records set in 2019/20 because of a higher cost of production, concerns about fertilizer supplies, and very good margins for alternative crops such as soybeans and corn. With ample supplies and a favorable exchange rate, Brazil's cotton exports should recover from the pandemic drop. Post forecasts cotton exports for 2022/23 to increase to 9.2 million bales (2 MMT), up from 8 million bales (1.74 MMT) in the current season. At the same time, Post anticipates that domestic consumption will remain tepid at 3.3 million bales for 2022/23 (718 thousand MT), up from 3.2 million bales (697 thousand MT) in the current marketing year.