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

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.
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.
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.