Key Points
— Ethiopia authorized imports of 17 Brazilian agricultural products including beef, poultry, and pork — opening Africa’s second-most-populous nation (130 million people) to Brazilian protein exports
— The openings are the first under new Agriculture Minister André de Paula, who took office last week, and push Brazil past 500 new market authorizations since Lula’s term began in 2023
— Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporter with record 2025 shipments of 3.5 million metric tons ($18 billion) — and diversification into Africa reduces dependence on China, which absorbs 48% of exports
Ethiopia’s authorization of Brazilian beef, poultry, and pork marks the latest step in a systematic market-opening campaign that has reshaped the geography of Brazil’s protein exports.
Ethiopia opened its market to 17 Brazilian agricultural products on Tuesday, including beef, poultry, and pork — the first market authorizations under newly appointed Agriculture Minister André de Paula. Luis Rua, the ministry’s trade and international relations secretary, confirmed the openings to Valor Econômico, noting that Ethiopia’s population of approximately 130 million people makes it a strategically important destination in East Africa. The authorizations extend Brazil’s record of surpassing 500 new market openings for agricultural goods since the start of Lula’s current term in 2023.
Why Ethiopia Matters
Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most-populous nation and one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies, with a livestock market valued at $870 million in 2025 and projected to approach $1 billion by 2034. The country has historically been a meat exporter, particularly of goat and sheep carcasses to the Middle East, but its domestic protein demand is rising rapidly with urbanization and income growth. For Brazilian exporters, the Ethiopian opening represents a foothold in a region where protein consumption per capita remains well below global averages — and where growth potential is measured in decades, not quarters.
The timing aligns with Brazil’s broader push to diversify away from its dependence on China, which absorbed 48% of the country’s record $18 billion in beef exports in 2025. While China remains the dominant buyer at 1.68 million metric tons, Rabobank projects Brazilian beef exports will hit a new record of 4.4 million metric tons in 2026 despite a 5–6% production decline — driven by strong global demand, a weak real, and reduced competition from other suppliers. Africa is the logical next frontier: the continent’s population will double to 2.5 billion by 2050, and protein imports are forecast to grow faster than any other region.
The Market-Opening Machine
Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry has turned sanitary market access into a systematic industrial policy. The 500-plus openings since 2023 span dozens of countries and product categories, from beef and poultry to dairy, genetics, and processed foods. The approach is bilateral and technical rather than multilateral — negotiating country by country, product by product, through veterinary inspections and phytosanitary certifications that can take years to complete. The Ethiopia deal is a product of that pipeline.
For André de Paula, who replaced Carlos Fávaro as agriculture minister last week as part of Lula’s pre-election cabinet reshuffle, Ethiopia is a quick early win. But the real test will be whether the ministry can maintain the pace of openings through an election year while simultaneously managing the complications of the Hormuz oil crisis — which is raising fertilizer costs across the region — and the ongoing US tariff negotiations that determine access to Brazil’s second-largest export market. With diesel prices elevated and the cattle cycle beginning to turn, every new market that absorbs Brazilian protein at international prices matters more than usual.