Cotton Technical Meeting will debate the challenges and opportunities for cotton farming

Brazil ranks fifth among the largest cotton producers in the world. Mato Grosso, which produces more than two-thirds of Brazilian cotton, is fundamental in this scenario. The planted area in the state reached the estimated mark of 1,441 million hectares for the 2023/24 harvest, representing an increase of 2,51% compared to the last estimate.

Considering this increase, the Mato-Grossense Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) predicts seed cotton production of approximately 6,3 million tons, a volume 12,08% higher than that recorded in the previous harvest.

However, despite the positive numbers, it is essential that producers are aware of climate risks and carry out adequate strategic planning to ensure the success of future harvests. To discuss advances and present the best decision-making on properties, Cuiabá-MT will host the XVI Cotton Technical Meeting, between July 31st and August 2nd, at the Hotel Gran Odara.

Promoted by the Mato Grosso Agricultural Research Support Foundation (MT Foundation), the meeting will be in a hybrid format (in-person and online), led by invited experts and researchers from the Foundation.

"Cultivating the future" is the theme that will guide the program for the three days of the meeting. The objective is to disseminate research data, present the MT Foundation's position, promote dialogue about bottlenecks in cotton farming, debate aspects of the last harvest and plan the next season in the field.

Luís Carlos Oliveira, commercial and marketing manager at Fundação MT, highlights that it is a great opportunity for cotton farmers, technicians and professionals linked to the cotton production chain to get together and participate in important panels that promise to be a milestone in the exchange of knowledge and experience about production and cotton.

“As in all Mato Grosso Foundation Technical Meetings, we will have reports from producers about the 23/24 harvest and are also thinking about planning the next one. The panels cover the main themes and challenges of cotton cultivation such as pests, nematodes, diseases, weeds, production systems and also a panel on climate and plant physiology. It is a unique moment for exchanging information, interactions and relationships,” he said.

Agenda

The program will feature eight panels with a lot of technical knowledge about cotton cultivation with talks by professionals who are references in Brazilian cotton farming.

On the first day (31.07/XNUMX), the opening panel will be dedicated to the challenges, opportunities and future of cotton farming. Among the guest speakers are the executive director of the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), Márcio Portocarrero, the economist and sociologist Marcos Troyjo and the CEO of the Locks Group, Samuel Locks. Next, there will be a panel focusing on Production Systems.

The second day (01.08) will be marked by a retrospective of the 23/24 harvest. The coordinator of projects and technology dissemination at the Mato Grosso Cotton Institute (IMA-MT) Marcio Souza will mediate the report from producers in the North and Middle North, South and West regions of Mato Grosso and the state of Bahia. The climate, plant physiology, pests, cotton boll weevil and control of phytonematodes will also be discussed.

On the last day (02.08), there will be a panel on the Disease Scenario in Cotton Crops with a focus on leaf spots, followed by a panel on best practices and new proposals for managing weeds in cotton.

Registration is open and can be made on the MT Foundation website: (www.fundacaomt.com.br/).