Cotton lobbyists and farmers report that the extremely dry weather is forcing farmers to abandon soybeans to grow cotton or any other crop in the state of Mato Grosso, which is the largest agricultural state in Brazil, where Mato Grosso grows two annual cotton crops, one during the soy season and the other after harvesting soy from the fields.
Desio Tocantins, director of the state cotton farmers ‘ group “AMPA”, said that soy farmers have suffered from the lack of rain, and may change crops and thus expand the area that will be planted with the first cotton in 2023, as the first Cotton represents between 10-13% of plantings in Mato Grosso, but this year it should reach 20%.
The head of “AMPA” added that the total area of cotton planted in Mato Grosso will increase by 8% to about 1.3 million hectares in the current season 2023/2024.
Alexander Schinkel, head of the National Cotton lobby “Abrapa”, revealed last week that some farmers may consider planting one crop if soybeans become difficult to cultivate, a trend that is gaining momentum, as farmers usually start planting cotton for the first time from the first of December.
