Apr 08, 2024
2023/24 Cotton Acreage in Mato Grosso Increases 16%
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Cotton acreage in Mato Grosso for 2023/24 growing season is up 16.8% compared to last year to 1.41 million hectares (3.48 million acres) according to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea). The increase is due to the greater potential returns for cotton compared to safrinha corn. Nearly all the cotton in Mato Grosso is grown as a second crop after soybeans and cotton competes with safrinha corn for acreage.
Farmers with the capacity to produce cotton increased their cotton acreage and reduced their safrinha corn acreage. Some of the acreage increase was also the result of farmers abandoning their soybeans due to hot and dry weather during October and November which decimated the crop.
Cotton yields in the state are expected to be down compared to last year due to less-than-ideal weather. Imea is estimating the cotton production in the state at 5.99 million tons, which is up 6.7% compared to last year. Mato Grosso is Brazil's largest cotton producing state followed by the state of Bahia.