LUIS EDUARDO MAGALHAES, (Brazil): Farmers in Brazil’s most recent agricultural expansion region are planting more cotton and less corn in the new crop, after a successful previous season that saw Brazil surpass the United States to become the world’s largest exporter of the fiber. Cotton growing continues to make inroads in the sprawling farms around Luis Eduardo Magalhaes in the western part of Bahia state, where the “cerrado” (savannah) climate predominates. The well-defined wet and dry periods have made the region a natural expansion place for cotton growing.

“We plan to plant 25% more cotton this year,” said Moises Schmidt, a partner at Agricola Schmidt, an agricultural group that cultivates around 35,000 hectares (86,490 acres) of farmland in Bahia, one of the states forming the new frontier known as Matopiba (Maranhao, Tocantins, Piaui and Bahia).

The movement in Bahia is a sign that Brazil will likely increase its share of the global cotton trade, the latest positive mark in a story that saw the country lead exports in soybeans and corn in recent years. Brazil is also the largest exporter of coffee and sugar.