Bahia begins cotton harvest for the 2019/20 harvest

Cotton producers gradually begin the harvest phase in Western Bahia. The second largest fiber producer in Brazil, the state is expected to keep production high, with the forecast of maintaining the level of 1,5 million tons (seed and fiber). The machines entered the field on rural properties in the municipalities of Correntina, Formosa do Rio Preto and São Desidério.

The second largest cotton producer in Brazil, the forecast is that Bahia will reach productivity of 300 arrobas of fiber/hectare in a total area of ​​313.566 thousand hectares. In relation to the last harvest, the outlook is for production to be maintained, despite a 5% reduction in area. The data are from the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa).

"We had a difficult start to planting in December, due to the low level of rainfall, excess in April, and the happiness of having rain in May. Even without much regularity in the weather this harvest, in terms of productivity, we should maintain productivity at 300 arrobas/hectare, twice as much as the producer in the United States can harvest. This shows that the Bahian producer has done his homework and used the entire technological package at his disposal in terms of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to prevent and combat pests , guaranteeing better productivity and quality of the lint for the market", says the president of the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers, Júlio Cézar Busato.

The new coronavirus pandemic, according to Busato, will not interfere with production in the field, but rather with sales and prices. "We have natural isolation in the field and all sanitary measures to prevent the circulation of the virus have been taken since the virus arrived in the country, making it possible to maintain activities.

In relation to the market, commodity prices have fallen a lot, but we have full infrastructure and logistics conditions already established for the medium-term recovery of our business. Around 70% of the cotton harvested in this harvest has already been sold, which guarantees greater peace of mind for the producer to sell the rest of the production at a better time", says Busato.

According to Abapa, the next 2020/2021 harvest should see an average reduction of 20% in planted area, which will ensure investments by farmers in Western Bahia in cotton cultivation.

In addition to the favorable climate and soil conditions, producers in the region have been forming an infrastructure in the countryside over the last 20 years with cotton processing industries with trained personnel and an already conquered consumer market. "Like other sectors of the economy, when the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic passes, we hope to work to resume investments and obtain greater future profitability by recovering current losses."

Bahia contributes 25% of the national harvest, being considered the agricultural area with the highest productivity of non-irrigated cotton in the world.