Bangladesh, long dependent on India for cotton imports, is shifting its sourcing strategy. Brazil has now emerged as the country’s top supplier, signaling a notable change in the dynamics of the regional cotton trade. The update was reported by India Today under the headline “Bangladesh Moves Away from India, Makes Brazil Its Top Cotton Source.”
According to the report, Brazil has ended India’s long-standing dominance in supplying raw cotton to Bangladesh. As the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments after China, Bangladesh relies heavily on imported cotton to feed its vast spinning and textile industries. India had been the primary source for decades, but the trend is visibly changing.
A recent assessment by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirms the shift. Brazil has become Bangladesh’s largest cotton supplier, surpassing India. Even with the change at the top, India remains one of the key sources for cotton and yarn. In the 2024–25 fiscal year, about 82 percent of Bangladesh’s cotton and yarn imports still came from India.
A Reuters report published in July 2025 added broader economic context. The apparel sector contributes nearly 10 percent to Bangladesh’s GDP and employs around four million people, most of