New cotton harvest should keep production high in Bahia

After a harvest with record production of 1,5 million tons (seed and fiber), Bahian farmers began a new cycle with the expectation of keeping cotton production high, mainly in the west of the state.

Started last December, the new harvest is expected to occupy a total area of ​​315 thousand hectares. Abapa estimates that productivity and production will remain at the same level, despite a 5% reduction in area. According to the entity, the scenario is still promising for those who have decided to maintain investments in fiber, keeping an eye mainly on demand from the textile industry in the international market.

The second largest cotton producer in Brazil, Bahia should consolidate a phase of gradual growth, which has been occurring for four consecutive harvests, after a period of losses due to drought.

The president of Abapa, Júlio Cézar Busato, believes that this pace should be maintained, mainly due to the technological package in seeds, fertilizers and modern pesticides used in farming, mainly to prevent and combat pests such as the cotton boll weevil. “Even with the irregularity and reduced rainfall at the beginning of the harvest, the outlook is still for an average productivity above 300 arrobas per hectare, which will ensure that Bahian cotton continues to stand out among the consumer market, which values ​​quality. of the state’s fiber, considered one of the best in the world”, he states.

Despite the reduction in the price of lint, producers remain optimistic to continue investing in cotton cultivation, even so as not to lose the previously installed structure and the space already conquered in the market. “We hope that the rains will be regularized throughout the cycle, avoiding losses, increasing average productivity, and enabling the harvest to come closer to the results of the last harvest. We are also hoping that prices will rise, guaranteeing the profitability necessary for producers to continue doing their homework, investing in technology, bringing a difference to their business within the cotton production chain”, says Busato.

With 85% of planting already completed, producers in Bahia have until February 10th to finish sowing the crop, whose harvest should begin in June.