2026/27 Crop Year: Brazil is projected to remain the world’s leading cotton exporter, according to USDA projections.

THE United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released on Tuesday (12) its monthly supply and demand report for May 2026, bringing the first projections for the 2026/27 cotton crop. According to the document, the world production Cotton production is expected to reach 25.266 million tons in the 2026/27 season, below the 26.702 million tons estimated for 2025/26. Global ending stocks are expected to decline from 16.823 million tons to 15.642 million tons. In the case of… Brazilthe USDA Brazil projects production of 3.810 million tons in 2026/27, below the 4.246 million tons estimated for 2025/26. Despite the production decline, the country should remain the world's leading exporter of the commodity, with shipments estimated at 3.266 million tons, above the 3.201 million tons projected for the current season. Brazilian ending stocks are expected to decrease from 1.122 million tons in 2025/26 to 927,000 tons in 2026/27. United StatesThe USDA projects production of 2.896 million tons in the 2026/27 crop year, below the 3.026 million tons estimated for 2025/26. US exports are expected to increase slightly from 2.613 million tons to 2.678 million tons. Ending stocks are projected at 849,000 tons, compared to 958,000 tons in the current season. ChinaChina, the world's leading cotton producer, has projected a harvest estimate of 7.294 million tons for 2026/27, down from the 7.795 million tons expected for 2025/26. However, Chinese domestic consumption is expected to grow from 8.818 million tons to 8.927 million tons. Chinese cotton imports are also expected to increase, rising from 1.437 million tons in 2025/26 to 1.524 million tons in the 2026/27 season.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.