RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil is the country that exports the most beef to the United States. This is the first time that Brazilian protein has topped the list, having overtaken Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico.
According to data released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday (April 6, 2022), Americans bought 45,400 tons of beef from Brazil in January. In the first two months of 2022, a total of 71,000 tons of this protein was imported.
With this increase, exports to North America exceeded the value of the same period in 2021 by 446%. In that year, only 7% of the beef consumed in the United States came from Brazil. Today, the percentage is 25%.
In all of last year, Brazil exported 168,000 tons of beef to the US. In 2020, it will be 100,000.
From October 1, 2021 (the beginning of the fiscal year in the U.S.) to the end of February 2022, beef imports from the North American country amounted to 505,000 tons. It is estimated that the agricultural sector will make imports worth US$172.5 billion this year.
The U.S. not only imports the commodity but also exports it. For this fiscal year, exports of agricultural products are estimated to total US$183.5 billion.
From October to February, receipts totaled US$84.1 billion, up 9% from the same period last year. Imports rose 21% to reach US$79.2 billion.
In addition to beef, pork also gained importance in the North American market. In January and February this year, Brazil exported 3,783 tons to the US. This is 121% more than in the previous two months.