According to the director of Abit (Associacao Brasileira da Industria Textil) and president of Abalg (Associacao Brasileira do Algodao), Andrew Macdonald the textile industry of Brazil association predicts a downturn in sales of cotton - 11% until the end of the year - to the industrial sector.

The fall is almost 26% since 2000, when the sector processed 970,000 m tons. However, exports will increase by 30%. They estimates a consumption of 720,000 m tons against 810,000 m tons in 2002. Macdonald said, the increasingly exports are not enough to balance losses in domestic market.

Over the first seven months of 2003, the external sales of textile products amounted to US$850.3mil - 296,400 m tons. In value, there was a growth of 30,2%. The apparel exports increased from US$302.2mil over the Jan-July 2002 period to US$342.5mil, a 13,3% growth.