Brazil’s beef exports up 52% to US$6.2 billion in first six months of 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian beef exports recorded a 52% cumulative increase in revenues in the first six months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, data collected by Secex (Secretariat of Foreign Trade) and released today by ABIEC (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries).

Abiec unites 39 companies in the sector in the country, responsible for 97% of the meat traded in international markets.

From January to June this year, invoicing sales reached US$6.2 billion (R$33.4 billion in today’s quotation), compared to US$4.08 billion (R$22 billion) in the same period last year.

In terms of volume, the increase was 21.5%, from 874 thousand tons in 2021 to 1.06 million tons by June this year. In the same period, the average price of the protein increased by 25.1%, from US$4.6 thousand (R$24.78 thousand) per ton to US$5.8 thousand (R$31.25) per ton.

“The figures show that Brazilian beef is gaining ground in international trade, thanks not only to the quality of our product but also to Brazil’s positioning as an important trading partner with other nations, rather than a competitor,” says Antônio Jorge Camardelli, president of Abiec.

EXPORT DESTINATIONS

In the first half of 2022, Brazil exported beef to 132 countries, with China as the main buyer with US$3.6 billion (R$19.4 billion), an increase of 86% compared to US$1.96 billion (R$10.56 billion) in the same period of 2021. In the same period, volumes increased by 35.3% and stood at 540 thousand tons, up from about 400 thousand tons.

The United States led the way with sales of US$530 million in the first half of the year, up 67% compared to US$317 million (R$2.8 billion) in the same period of 2021, and the volume was 83% higher at 78 thousand tons compared to 42.6 thousand tons.

Revenues from shipments to the European Union increased by 35% to US$281 million (R$1.5 billion) compared to US$207 million (R$1.1 billion). In comparison, the volume shipped increased by 16.4%, closing the period at 36.5 thousand tons compared to 31 thousand tons in 2021.

Revenues from shipments to Egypt increased by 268% during the period. They amounted to US$274 million (R$1.47 billion) compared to US$74.4 million (R$400 million) due to the 232.7% growth in the volume of meat shipped, which increased from 21.3 thousand tons to almost 71 thousand tons.

Shipments to Israel also registered a 73.4% increase in volume, rising from US$74.8 million (R$402.9 million) in the first half of 2021 to US$129.8 million (R$699.3 million) in 2022. Volume increased by 50% from 14,796 tons to 22,213 tons.

BRAZIL FEEDS 10% OF THE WORLD POPULATION

Farmers in Brazil fed some 10% of the world’s 7.76 billion population, a study by state-run agricultural research agency Embrapa found in 2021.

Embrapa’s statement said that the study focused on Brazil’s grains and oilseeds production as basic food staples that can be used for direct human consumption or as animal feed for meat processing.

The findings highlight the country’s strength as a global farming powerhouse, as the South American nation went from being a net food importer in recent decades to become the world’s largest exporter of products like soybeans, beef, and chicken that it sells to China, the European Union, and many others.