Brazil shipped 718,000 more tonnes than the US in 2025/26, but Abrapa already expects a smaller harvest to shrink next season's exports.
Brazil shipped a record 3.37 million tonnes of cotton in the 2025/26 marketing year, generating $5.3 billion in revenue.
The Brazilian Association of Cotton Growers (Abrapa) compiled the total from ComexStat trade data, per Just Style. The total marked a 19% jump from the prior cycle's 2.84 million tonnes.
The volume kept Brazil at the top of the global rankings, ahead of the United States at 2.656 million tonnes and Australia at 1.241 million tonnes. Brazil led by roughly 718,000 tonnes. The lead traces to the 2023/24 marketing year.
Brazil first topped the US in cotton exports that year, per the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (GAIN report BR2024-0039).
Key Facts
- Brazil exported a record 3.37 million tonnes of cotton in 2025/26, up 19% from the year before.
- Up 9% from the prior cycle, Brazilian export revenue hit a record $5.3 billion.
- China bought 770,500 tonnes of Brazilian cotton, 23% of total exports and up 309,200 tonnes year over year.
The revenue also produced a $5.293 billion trade surplus for Brazil's cotton sector, Knitting Industry reported. The surplus was also up 9% from the previous cycle. It is the third straight marketing year Brazil has outshipped the US.
Brazil's Production Gains Drive Record Cotton Exports
Danyella Bonfim is Abrapa's market intelligence and analysis coordinator.
She attributed the gain to expanded production and "progress in quality, traceability and sustainability," per Just Style. The added confidence reflects Brazil's ability to supply cotton on a consistent basis as output has scaled.
Brazilian cotton is grown mainly in Mato Grosso and Bahia, on large mechanized farms that also handle much of the country's soybean and corn logistics.
China Increases Purchases as US Tariffs Bite
China was Brazil's largest buyer in 2025/26, importing 770,500 tonnes. The total equaled 23% of Brazil's exports, up 309,200 tonnes from the prior cycle.
Abrapa linked the jump partly to US-China trade tensions, which have left an additional tariff on US cotton entering the Chinese market and reduced its competitiveness.
Bangladesh added 173,200 tonnes to its purchases from Brazil, driven by growth in its textile sector and a shift toward mechanized fiber. Vietnam and Pakistan pulled back, buying 137,400 and 79,200 fewer tonnes.
India's imports from Brazil rose more than 40-fold over two years, aided by a temporary suspension of the country's 11% cotton import tariff in 2025.
Brazilian cotton was "already known and had a presence among buyers" when India's demand picked up, Bonfim told Knitting Industry.
Abrapa Forecasts a Smaller Harvest for 2026/27
Abrapa forecasts 2026/27 production at about 3.9 million tonnes and exports around 3.1 million tonnes, a decline it attributes to an expected smaller cotton harvest.
