ICA Bremen’s Axel Drieling recently visited the Brazilian Association of Producers of Cotton (ABRAPA) and its central laboratory (Centro Brasileiro de Referência em Análise de Algodão CBRA) in Brasilia for consulting on Brazil’s Standard HVI Program (SBRHVI).

Axel Drieling was also delighted to advise guidance to representatives of all 13 Brazilian cotton testing laboratories in a two-day training workshop on best laboratory practices.

His week-long trip took place at CBRA and culminated in a training workshop. CBRA was opened in December 2016 and aims to achieve the ICA Bremen international laboratory certification which is a world-class standard in cotton classification. The President of ABRAPA, Arlindo de Azevedo Moura, stated that: “Although the standardization of Brazil’s cotton is maintained by private entities, the association’s goal is to maintain the same level as international centres, whose management is public.”

The visit resulted in further recommendations for improvements to the CBRA and the SBRHVI Programme, as Axel Drieling reports “The changes in logistics for the CBRA Check Sample Programme and the Round Trial Programme were one of the results of three days of intense discussion which involved the team of ABRAPA and CBRA, as well as myself”.

CBRA will apply for the ICA Bremen Laboratory Certification in the nearer future. They have already completed the first CSITC Round Trial, which is conducted jointly by the Bremen Fibre Institute and USDA-AMS. They will need to complete four CSITC Round Trials in order for the audit process to be completed and before certification is awarded.

Source: ICA Bremen