Brazil exports 3,6 million bags of coffee in March, down 6%

According to data from the monthly statistical report of the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé), national shipments of the product totaled 3,622 million 60 kg bags in March, a volume that implies a reduction of 6% compared to the same month in 2021. In revenue, however, saw a growth of 69,3% in the same comparison, with the value reaching U$865,1 million.

The entity's president, Nicolas Rueda, reveals that the March result reflects the significant drop of 64,6% in shipments of canephora coffees, which totaled 123.437 bags. "With the high price levels of Arabica, internally and externally, Brazilian industries have rearranged their blends and have been using more conilon (robusta), whose prices are less high", he explains.

Arabica coffee exports increased by almost 1% last month, to 3,142 million bags, even in the middle of the coffee off-season in Brazil, standing out as the best result in the last five years.

"Given the lower availability of coffee at this time, the slight increase observed is the result of the gradual improvement in the logistics scenario, which has been enabling the shipments scheduled for the month in addition to the cargo retained in previous months. However, it is essential to highlight that the logistical situation is still is below normality, demanding many challenges from exporters", he comments.

2021/22 Harvest

With last month's performance, accumulated shipments for the crop year reach 30,256 million bags, decreasing 16,5% in relation to the 36,227 million bags exported between July 2020 and March 2021. In revenue, there was an increase of 29,5 .4,555%, with the value jumping from US$5,901 billion to US$XNUMX billion.

The president of Cecafé analyzes that, despite the drop, the current performance is positive, especially considering the obstacles that Brazilian exporters continue to face.

"We are in the off-season and with less supply in the current cycle, we continue to experience logistical bottlenecks and, more recently, shipments began to be impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. Still, shipments in the 2021/22 season are identical to those recorded in the same nine months of the 2019/20 harvest, the last of the low cycle within the biennial period characteristic of Brazil's coffee belt", he argues.

Civil year

In the first quarter of 2022, exports reach 10,594 million bags, showing a drop of 7,8% compared to the performance in the first three months of last year. Foreign exchange revenue in the period totaled US$ 2,424 billion, with significant growth of 60,8% compared to the same previous period, the highest value in the last five years.

"This reduction in the quarter is in line with the lower availability of arabica, in the off-season of a low cycle, the growth in industrial demand for conilon, the logistics scenario, which remains complicated in relation to the availability of ships and high costs, and, more recently, to the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine", says Rueda.

Russia vs Ukraine 

The prolongation of the conflict in Ukraine is already having an impact on Brazilian coffee exports. In March, total shipments to Russia decreased by 19%, for example. "Even though it is unimaginable to experience a war and all its tragic human factor in the XNUMXst century, this scenario reflects the impossibility of sending containers and vessels to these destinations, with the work of maritime agencies in Russia being halted and the collapse in Ukraine, in addition to the withdrawal of Russian financial institutions from the Swift financial system, which makes business with local partners difficult", concludes the president of Cecafé.

main destinations

In the first quarter of this year, the United States remains the main importer of Brazilian coffee. North Americans purchased 2,103 million bags, a volume 3,3% lower than the 2,176 million bags acquired in the same period in 2021. This volume represents 19,8% of Brazil's total exports to date.

Germany, with a representation of 17,8%, imported 1,885 million bags (-8,7%) and occupied second place in the ranking. Next came Belgium, with the purchase of 1,119 million bags (+29,7%); Italy, with 910.727 bags (+0,9%); and Japan, with the acquisition of 481.498 bags (-22,4%).

With the extension of the war throughout the month of March, attention is drawn to the impact on exports to Russia, which fell from sixth to eighth place in the ranking of main importers in the first quarter. The Russians purchased 268.754 bags from January to the end of March, a volume that represents a drop of 19,3% compared to the same period in 2021.

Coffee types

Arabica coffee was the most exported between January and March 2022, with 9,254 million bags sent abroad, which corresponds to 87,3% of the total. Instant coffee had the equivalent of 970.352 bags shipped, accounting for 9,2% of the total. Next comes the canephora variety (robusta + conilon), with exports of 358.848 bags (3,4%), and the roasted and roasted and ground product, with 10.511 bags (0,1%).

differentiated coffees

Coffees that have superior quality or some type of certificate of sustainable practices accounted for 15,2% of total Brazilian exports of the product in the first quarter of 2022, with 1,611 million bags sent abroad. This volume represents a decline of 1,9% compared to the 1,643 million bags shipped by the country in the same period of the previous year.

The average price of this product was US$309,02 per bag, providing revenue of US$497,8 million in the three months, which corresponds to 20,5% of that obtained from total shipments. In the annual comparison, the value is 77,4% higher than that measured in the same previous interval.

In the ranking of the main destinations for differentiated coffees in the first quarter, the United States is at the top, with the acquisition of 413.198 bags, equivalent to 25,7% of the total of this type of product exported. Next comes Germany, with 224.689 bags and a representation of 13,9%; Belgium, with 196.408 bags (12,2%); Italy, with 136.220 bags (8,5%); and Japan, with 77.366 bags (4,8%).

Ports

The Santos maritime complex (SP) remains the main exporter of coffee from Brazil in 2022, with the shipment of 8,829 million bags, which corresponds to 83,3% of the total. Closing the list of the top three are the ports of Rio de Janeiro, which accounted for 12,4% of shipments by sending 1,310 million bags in the first quarter, and Paranaguá (PR), with the shipment of 137.440 bags abroad (1,3 .XNUMX%).

The complete report on coffee exports, in March 2022, is available on Cecafé website.