RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso led Brazilian beef exports in 2020, a record year for the country with total sales of 2,016 million tons. Data from SECEX (the Brazilian foreign-trade secretariat) compiled by ABRAFRIGO (the Brazilian meatpackers association) point out that São Paulo shipments totaled 439,900 tons, or 21.8% of the total, while shipments from Mato Grosso reached 407,700 tons or 20.2% of the total.
According to the organization, twenty years ago São Paulo accounted for 65% of the exported beef volume and Mato Grosso accounted a mere 5% in 2000. However since then the slaughtering and processing capacity of Mato Grosso state has sky rocketed.
According to ABRAFRIGO, Goiás ranked third among the largest beef exporters in Brazil in 2020, shipping 282,600 tons (14% of the total), followed by Minas Gerais (190,000 tons, or 9.4%), Mato Grosso do Sul (189,900 tons, or 9.4%), Rondônia (187,700 tons, or 9.3%) and Pará (106,300 tons, or 5.3%).
Recently, ABRAFRIGO reported that the volume of beef shipments from Brazil grew 7.5% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and revenue increased 10.5% to US$ 8.4 billion. China and Hong Kong, together, absorbed 58.6% of the total volume exported in 2020.
Other Mercosur beef production countries also had record exports, Argentina almost 900,000 tons, the best year since 1924, and equally Paraguay overseas sales reached 271,000 tons the highest since 2014.
Uruguay however experienced a 16% drop in exports totaling some 415,000 tons.