Operations in the Cotton Chain: A Study at Agro-industrial Cooperative Holambra II and the Paulista Association of Cotton Producers (PACP)

Abstract

The study aims to study the operations of the cotton chain at Agro-industrial Cooperative Holambra II, especially the operations of planting, harvesting, processing and storage and destination of byproducts. Of a basic nature, with a qualitative focus and exploratory descriptive objectives, the Case Study approach was used, supported by bibliographic research. Semi-structured interviews, documentary research and structured observation were the tools used in data collection. The Cooperative implemented changes in its organizational and compliance structure, seeking to increase its efficiency in decision-making, in addition to expanding its competitive advantages with better market positioning. The 2020/21 crop showed a sharp reduction in planted area, in view of the uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to competition from other products, with a consequent drop in production, and productivity above the average of the last five harvests. The Cooperative's strategy for anticipating the harvest period provides conditions for making the product available on the market in advance, with the possibility of obtaining higher prices. In the 2019/20 harvest, the production of plume at the Cooperative was equivalent to more than 70% of the state production. The study contributes to the expansion of the study of agricultural cooperatives in the field of management, focusing on the production of cotton, which produces the most important of textile fibers.Probably, the COVID-19 pandemic will cause a significant contraction in world trade in 2020. Preliminary indicators already point to sharp falls in the first and part of the second half of 2020. For the first time since the 2008-2009 crisis, the volume of world trade in goods has plummeted in the first half of 2020, under pressure from rising trade tensions, especially between the United States and China, and weakening economic growth, particularly due to COVID-19.Andressa Vieira da Cruz et al.