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ChinaDiplomacy

US forecasts rise in Brazilian cotton exports to China as trade war tariffs bite

  • Report by Washington agency says trade stand-off and improved product from South American exporter will result in increased sales to Chinese buyers

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Hand picking cotton in Sao Paolo state, part of Brazil’s growing industry which is expected to increase sales to China and Chinese businesses across Asia. Photo: Alamy
Reuters

Brazilian exports of cotton to China and other Asian countries are expected to increase in 2018/19, stemming in part from US-China trade tensions, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report published on Thursday.

Exports are forecast to reach 6 million bales, up from 4.2 million bales from the 2017/18 season, according to the USDA.

The Brazilian Cotton Producers Association “expects increased interest in Brazilian cotton from buyers in China as well as from Chinese-owned textile mills in other Asian countries, stemming in part from the US-China trade tensions”, the USDA report said.

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The USDA also cited “continued improvement in grading and quality of Brazilian product” as a secondary reason why demand for Brazilian cotton from China is expected to increase.

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The report came a day after the USDA said US cotton exports to China tumbled by nearly half in the first two months of the 2018/19 marketing year, “hindered” by the US-China trade war.

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