Ministry of Agriculture carries out first inspection of cotton lint for export to Asia

The Superintendence of Agriculture and Livestock in São Paulo (SFA-SP) carried out the first inspection of cotton lint this week in Jundiaí (SP), representing the export of 44 containers that will be sent to China (larger volume), Bangladesh and Vietnam – countries that do not require phytosanitary treatment. The expectation is that 400 containers of the product will be certified per month in this new operation authorized by the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs of the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense, according to tax auditor Lucas Zago, who accompanied the inspection. Cotton lint is the result of the processing of seed cotton.

The authorization of phytosanitary certification at the origin of cotton lint was formalized by MAPA to take place as of October 1st. The procedure follows that established by Ordinance No. 177, of June 16, 2021. Until then, this inspection was carried out by MAPA's Vigiagro (International Agricultural Surveillance) system, in a structure that monitors the borders and reports directly to Brasília.

The current scenario has been a concern for the sector because there is limited space and logistical bottlenecks at the Port of Santos, which handles 95% of the volume of cotton exported. At the same time, there is an expectation of an increase in Brazilian cotton exports in the next harvest of around 8%, reaching 4 million tons, according to data from the Brazilian Cotton Producers Association (Abrapa). These two factors were decisive for this authorization by the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense.

The phytosanitary certification at the origin of the cotton will be carried out at the Contrail Logística Terminal in Jundiaí by the São Paulo Plant Health and Input Inspection Service (Sisv-SP) team, with support from the MAPA regional office in Campinas. From the terminal, the containers will be sent to Santos, mostly by rail, which will have a positive impact on logistics and reduce the flow of trucks in the vicinity of the port.