Cotton in Data: What DataLiner’s Numbers Reveal About the Global Commodity Market

Brazil's reputation as the "breadbasket of the world" is well established, but the country's role as an agricultural powerhouse extends far beyond food. In recent years, large-scale investment in sustainable production, productivity gains and steady improvements in logistics have helped make Brazil the world's largest cotton exporter, overtaking the United States and reshaping long-established trade patterns. Between August 2025 and July 2026, Brazil shipped 3.37 million metric tons, up 19% from the previous marketing year, generating $5.3 billion in revenue, according to Abrapa.

The result reinforces a shift already visible in foreign trade data: Brazilian cotton exports have moved from being a competitive alternative to U.S. cotton to playing a central role in the global textile industry's sourcing strategies. For exporters, trading companies, ocean carriers, terminals and freight forwarders, that new scale makes the flow of cargo increasingly important to understand. It is no longer enough to know that Brazil is exporting more; companies need to know where the fiber is going, through which ports, in what volumes and how quickly those flows are growing.

Datamar data show that Brazil exported 152,581 TEUs of cotton from January through July 2026, up 28.6% from the same period a year earlier. Data available through the DataLiner platform make it possible to track the commodity's historical performance, shifts in destination markets, terminals used and changes in export routes.

That visibility matters even more because Brazil's leadership is taking shape in a global market that is increasingly sensitive to availability, price and delivery reliability. The USDA projects that global mill use will exceed production in 2026/27 for the first time in three years, while global ending stocks are expected to fall to their lowest level since 2011/12. In that environment, international buyers place even greater value on dependable supply, fiber quality and suppliers' logistics capabilities.

Brazil consolidates its lead as the global cotton market shifts

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), five countries account for roughly 70% of global cotton production: China, India, the United States, Brazil and Pakistan. In Brazil, Abrapa expects the 2025/26 crop to reach 4.08 million metric tons, equivalent to 16% of global production and keeping the country in third place among the world's largest producers.

In exports, however, Brazil has already taken the lead. Figures cited by Abrapa, based on USDA projections released in August 2026, indicate that Brazil is expected to remain the world's largest cotton exporter in 2026/27, with 3.33 million metric tons shipped, compared with 2.68 million metric tons from the United States.

The shift is not a one-off. The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) expects global cotton trade to rise from 9.4 million metric tons in 2025/26 to 10.3 million metric tons in 2028/29. The organization also points to record production, competitive prices, broader market access and lower U.S. cotton availability in international trade as key drivers of Brazil's advance.

The chart below tracks Brazilian containerized cotton exports over the past several years. The series was built with DataLiner data:

Brazilian Cotton Exports | Jan 2023-Jul 2026 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Santos remains dominant, but logistics diversification is becoming more important

Rising shipment volumes are putting greater emphasis on port infrastructure. The Port of Santos remains the main gateway for Brazilian cotton shipped in containers, accounting for nearly 93% of exports from January through July 2026. Salvador ranked second with 3.93%, followed by Itapoá with 2.08%.

Santos' concentration underscores the role of Brazil's largest port complex in the cotton supply chain, but it also shows why alternative corridors deserve closer attention. In a report on Brazilian cotton, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) noted that Santos remained the country's main export gateway and said improvements at the Port of Salvador should make it easier to ship cotton from Bahia, Brazil's second-largest producing state.

For the market, that combination matters. A commodity can gain scale and predictability as volumes rise through a major gateway, but heavy dependence on a single port also increases exposure to operational bottlenecks, equipment availability and changes in shipping windows. Datamar's market data allow users to drill down to individual terminals and track how this logistics geography changes over time.

Top Brazilian Cotton Export Ports | Jan-Jul 2026 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

The largest export volumes still originate in states such as Mato Grosso, Bahia and Mato Grosso do Sul, long-established centers of Brazilian cotton production. Changes in the ports used to move that crop help show how production reaches international markets and which corridors are gaining importance as Brazil expands its global presence.

China returns to the center of demand for Brazilian cotton

Brazil's advance is particularly visible in destination markets. DataLiner figures show that China became the leading destination for Brazilian cotton between January and July 2026, receiving 29,193 TEUs, up 232.1% from the same period in 2025. The move is consistent with a broader trend reflected in public data: over the 2025/26 marketing year, China finished as the largest destination for Brazilian cotton, buying 770,500 metric tons, or about 23% of total shipments, according to Abrapa.

The surge in Chinese purchases reflects a combination of restocking, industrial demand and shifts in supplier mix. USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) reported that China's cotton imports resumed growth in 2025/26 as the country sought to support its textile and apparel exports. ICAC, meanwhile, notes that demand from China - the world's largest cotton consumer - will be critical to future global trade patterns and that a recovery in Chinese imports should support international cotton trade.

Brazil has gained ground in this environment by combining scale, competitive prices and available supply at a time when the United States has had a smaller presence in the market. USDA FAS had already reported that, by February 2026, China had purchased more than 2.6 million bales of Brazilian cotton, 38% more than at the same point in the previous season. For Brazilian shippers, DataLiner shows how that shift is translating into actual routes: cotton shipments from Santos to China alone totaled 27,487 TEUs from January through July 2026, up 240.7% year over year.

Bangladesh gains ground on textile demand, pricing and supply logistics

Bangladesh also gained importance in Datamar's data. The country ranked as the second-largest destination for Brazilian cotton from January through July 2026, with shipments up 43.9%. That increase is better understood not simply as a straight rise in the country's total cotton demand, but as Brazil gaining share within a textile supply chain that places a premium on price, reliability and faster delivery.

A USDA FAS report on Bangladesh helps explain the shift. Although the country's total cotton import forecast for 2025/26 was lowered because of factors including demand uncertainty, fewer apparel orders, logistics bottlenecks, energy shortages and higher production costs, Brazil emerged as the leading individual supplier early in the season. During the first seven months of the 2025/26 marketing year, Brazilian cotton accounted for 1.2 million bales, or 30% of Bangladesh's imports.

The same report points to two practical advantages behind that preference: "afloat" supply, with cotton already in transit, and regional warehousing in Singapore, which can allow deliveries in roughly seven days. Combined with seasonally competitive pricing, those advantages help Bangladeshi mills reduce their exposure to volatile Indian supply and the longer lead times associated with U.S. cotton.

DataLiner shows that the shift also has a port dimension. At the Port of Salvador, Bangladesh was the leading destination for cotton from Bahia, with 2,292 TEUs shipped between January and July 2026, accounting for 38.26% of the port's cotton exports. The combination of a growing destination and a corridor outside Santos highlights why the commodity is best tracked by route, port and buyer market.

Destination markets point to new commercial opportunities

China led purchases of Brazilian cotton from January through July 2026, followed by Bangladesh. Pakistan, Turkey and India came next, but with very different trajectories: shipments to Pakistan fell 12.6%, while Turkey grew 9.8% and India surged 230.6%.

Those swings reflect a market in transition. Some buyers are increasing volumes to rebuild inventories or meet textile demand; others are adjusting purchases in response to price, availability, exchange rates, tariffs, logistics and conditions in their domestic industries. For companies involved in foreign trade, the value of the analysis lies in connecting those global shifts with operational shipment data.

The table below shows the main destinations for Brazilian cotton exports, based on DataLiner data.

Top Destinations for Brazilian Cotton | Jan-Jul 2026 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Price, sustainability and traceability carry more commercial weight

Brazil's export performance has been supported by competitive production costs, fiber quality, favorable exchange rates and growing international recognition. But global competition is about more than volume. For brands, retailers and textile manufacturers, traceability, reliable supply and evidence of sustainable practices are also playing a larger role in sourcing decisions.

That helps explain why detailed data have become more valuable across the supply chain. Beyond volume and frequency, DataLiner provides strategic insights such as exporter rankings, carrier market share, seasonal patterns, routes, ports and destinations. The platform helps companies anticipate logistics bottlenecks, track market trends and identify new commercial opportunities.

With global cotton stocks tightening, geopolitical volatility persisting and consumption patterns changing, Datamar's market intelligence can provide a competitive edge. Through historical series and continuous cargo monitoring, DataLiner offers a clearer view of Brazil's strategic role in the international cotton supply chain and in other commodity markets.

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