Abrapa present at the biggest global cotton farming events in October

As it has done since the first years of its creation, 20 years ago, the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers has been present at the most important international cotton farming events, promoting Brazilian cotton, as part of the entity's four fundamental commitments: quality, traceability , sustainability and promotion. On Tuesday, October 8, Abrapa brought together in Liverpool, England, traders, industrialists, and various agents from the fiber production chain to show the numbers and outline an overview of the national production of the commodity in the current harvest, which is being embarked, in addition to presenting the prospects for the next one.

Brazilian Cotton Day has been taking place for over a decade, as a parallel program to the agenda of the traditional annual event promoted by the International Cotton Association (ICA). The ICA Trade Event, this year, took place in the birthplace of the international association, the city of Liverpool, between the 9th and 10th of October, and culminated with the annual gala dinner.

Abrapa's efforts to promote Brazilian cotton on the international market, in October, were reinforced by the entity's participation in the launch of World Cotton Day, held at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO), in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 7th. Later this month, between the 20th and 22nd, the entity participates in the annual conference of the International Textile and Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), in the city of Porto, in Portugal.

In the 2019 edition, instead of a round of meetings with international agents, Brazilian Cotton Day included a panel with leaders from the national cotton industry, as well as a presentation about the harvest for guests, during lunch held at Malmaison Liverpool. On the agenda of discussions, record exports, which are expected to total 1,85 million tons of feather in the 2018/2019 harvest, the new position of second largest exporter in the world, and the repercussions for the country of the trade war between the United States and China .

“This year, Brazil's presence at the Trade Event was even more special. We are all concerned about the unexciting prices, but we occupy our position as a major player, and what we can say is that the world looks at Brazil as a strategic supplier of cotton. Not only because we have volume, but because we deliver quality and sustainability, values ​​that have been demanded by the end consumer and that have made the entire chain move to meet the needs. Our Responsible Brazilian Cotton (ABR) program is a great asset; a market differentiator that makes us even more attractive to the global industry”, says the president of Abrapa, Milton Garbugio.

For Abrapa's Director of International Relations, Marcelo Duarte, more than ever, Brazil needs to be close to the world market and the association is focused in this direction. “A broad international marketing program is being put into practice, and is becoming increasingly important, as we have evolved a lot in the structuring pillars of quality, sustainability and traceability. Now, we need to sell our product well, compete in markets with our competitive advantages, in addition to helping cotton as a whole to recover part of the space it has been losing to other textile fibers. Today, we are a major player, accounting for one of every five bales sold internationally. We have a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of room to grow, as we offer increasingly better quality cotton, which is also traceable and sustainable”, assesses Duarte.