Insights

• Brazil has emerged as the top global cotton exporter for the 2024–25 season, contributing 14 per cent to global output and a record 30.5 per cent to world exports, surpassing the US.
• Between August 2024 and April 2025, Brazil shipped 2.35 million tons of cotton.
• Despite a dip in April exports year-on-year, domestic prices rose 4 per cent, driven by firm seller positioning on premium-quality stocks.

Brazil’s cotton sector has achieved a milestone, now accounting for 14 per cent of global production and a record 30.5 per cent of world exports in the 2024-25 season, according to April data from the USDA. This surpasses the US share of 25.8 per cent and places Brazil as the top global cotton exporter, as per the Centre for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA).

Between August 2024 and April 2025, Brazil exported 2.35 million tons of cotton—just 12 per cent below the previous season's level, per the Secretariat of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Economy (Secex).

In the 17 production days of April, Brazil exported 210.1 thousand tons of cotton to the international market—12.1 per cent less than in March 2025 and 13 per cent below the volume recorded in April 2024, according to Secex data. Nevertheless, the volume exported in April 2025 so far is already the second highest on record for the month, only behind April 2024 (241.4 thousand tons). With a current daily average of 12.36 thousand tons, total exports for April may reach 247 thousand tons, CEPEA said in its latest fortnightly report on the Brazilian cotton market.

In the domestic market, strong seller positioning on remaining 2023-24 crop stocks has kept prices firm, especially for premium-quality cotton. The CEPEA/ESALQ Index rose by 4 per cent from March 31 to April 30, reaching BRL 4.3871 (~$0.77) per pound.