RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Agribusiness exports totaled US$96.8 (R$388) billion last year. That amount represents 43.2 percent of Brazil’s total exports, according to the Secretariat of Trade and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply.
The data shows the sector’s slight growth in the country’s total exports. In 2018, its share had been 42.3 percent.
The highlight was the trade in corn, meat, and cotton. Corn registered a record export volume, with 43.25 million tons. The previous record had been set in 2017, with 29.25 million tons of cereal exported.
Furthermore, according to the ministry, China became the main client of Brazilian beef. The Asian country accounts for 26.8 percent of the total volume exported. As a result, it overtook Hong Kong, which ranked second with 18.6 percent.
Corn
Corn production in the 2018/2019 crop year also broke records, totaling 100 million tons, generating an exported surplus of nearly 20 million tons over the 2018 figure.
Soybeans, on the other hand, saw a reduction of almost 10 million tons in shipments, a drop that was partly offset by sales of meat (beef, pork, and chicken), corn and cotton.
Meat
External sales of meat rose from US$14.68 billion in 2018 to US$16.52 billion in 2019, up 12.5 percent. The impact of African swine fever affecting several countries, particularly the Chinese herd, helped increase Brazilian meat exports.
Beef was the main meat exported by Brazil, with US$7.57 billion in foreign sales in 2019 (+15.6 percent). This figure is a record for the entire historical series. Beef exports were also a record, reaching 1.85 million metric tons.
Cotton
The highlight of the fiber and textile products sector was the increase in sales of uncarded and combed cotton, which rose from US$1.69 billion in 2018 to US$2.64 billion in 2019 (+56.5 percent).