Cotton returns to the radar of producers in Paraná

Cotton could once again become an alternative that offers greater profitability to producers in Paraná, taking advantage of price fluctuations in the most popular crops and the problems caused by climate change. Paraná was the largest cotton producer in Brazil in the early 1990s, with more than 700 thousand hectares cultivated, and could see a recovery.

Cotton is a crop that is more resistant to drought, requiring little water and many hours of sunlight to complete its cycle. In Brazil, production is concentrated mainly in the Cerrado region of Mato Grosso and in the northwest of Paraná, which have a similar climate and high potential for producing the crop. Paraná also has the advantage of more fertile soil, which allows for the use of half the fertilizer required in the Cerrado.

“There are important things happening in Paraná, with the return of cotton planting. Planting is growing a lot, and it is another option for crop rotation and improving the income of rural producers,” says the state secretary of Agriculture and Supply, Marcio Nunes.

Despite the small production in recent years, around 2,4 thousand tons, when compared to the 1990s, the demand for the crop remains high. According to the Paraná Cotton Growers Association (Acopar), it is estimated that it would be necessary to plant 50 thousand hectares of cotton in the state to meet domestic demand.

Surveys from 2014 estimate that 60 thousand tons of lint were consumed by the Paraná textile industry, according to Acopar. There are at least 10 spinning mills and seven weaving mills that work with raw material, which today comes mainly from the Cerrado.

In 2024, only five municipalities recorded commercial cotton production in Gross Production Value (GVP), with two "restarts". Sertaneja appears as the largest producer. This municipality in the North of the state showed a significant increase in relation to the previous year. While in 2023 it produced 601 tons on 124 hectares, last year it was 520 hectares for production of 2.095 tons. The GVP had a jump of 107%, going from R$ 8,8 million to R$ 18,3 million.

In Assaí and Jataizinho, there was already production, and farmers from Andirá and Nova Santa Bárbara decided to start growing cotton. The outlook for 2025 is that production in Paraná will increase with more municipalities planting. Acopar expects that the total production will increase from 584 hectares in 2024 to around 1,5 hectares in the state.

Opportunities and possibilities

Almir Montecelli, CEO of the Association, explains that the productivity that Paraná could achieve today with cotton farming would be double what it was in the past or when compared with other popular crops. “Paraná plants to harvest 500 arrobas per alqueire and under these conditions it yields twice the profitability of soybeans,” he explains.

Some producers are already achieving greater productivity and, as a result, greater profitability. “This year we already have varieties, conditions and farmers harvesting 700 arrobas per alqueire,” says Montecelli.

He also explains that one of the major problems faced in the past was the cotton boll weevil, the main pest of the crop and with high destructive potential, but that nowadays it is possible to control this problem. “The boll weevil, which is a serious pest, is controlled in the rest of Brazil with about 15 applications of insecticide. In Paraná, we only apply seven applications and without using fungicides, which are used in the rest of the country,” he explains.

Cotton production is also beneficial to the soil. The profitability of one crop of the crop may be enough to eliminate the need for a second crop, which can wear out the soil. And by preserving the soil, the next crop, whether cotton or other crops, can benefit.