Brazilian agribusiness exports broke a record in 2023, reaching US$166,55 billion. The figure was 4,8% higher compared to 2022, which represents an increase of US$7,68 billion. According to the Secretariat of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), performance was mainly influenced by the quantity shipped.
Thus, agribusiness was responsible for 49% of the total Brazilian export basket in 2023. In the previous year, the share was 47,5%.
"The year 2023 marked a historic turning point for Brazilian agriculture, with major advances in exports and market expansion, resulting in a record in foreign sales. Under the leadership of President Lula and Minister Carlos Fávaro, Brazil opened 78 new markets, strengthened ties and led global exports in several products”, highlights Mapa’s Secretary of Commerce and International Relations, Roberto Perosa.
Brazil directly exported 193,02 million tons in the form of grains. An amount 24,3% higher compared to the 155,30 million tons of grains exported in 2022. This quantity of grains exported in 2023 is equivalent to 60,3% of the record 2022/23 grain harvest, estimated by the National Food Company. Supply at 319,86 million tons. In addition to the increase in the quantity of grains exported by almost 40 million tons, there was also an expansion in the volume exported of other products that registered more than US$ 1 billion in foreign sales: meat (+5,4, 15,1%), sugar (+6,0%), juices (+5,9%), fruits (+19,7%), leather and leather products (+XNUMX%).
The export sectors that contributed most to agribusiness sales were: soybean complex (+US$6,49 billion); sugar and alcohol complex (+US$4,60 billion) and cereals, flours and preparations (+US$1,18 billion) and juices (+US$447,41 million).
In relation to exported value, the five main sectors were: soy complex (40,4% of total exports); meat (14,1%); sugar and alcohol complex (10,4%); cereals, flours and preparations (9,3%) and forestry products (8,6%). Together, these highlighted sectors represented 82,9% of the sector's sales in 2023. As for imports, Brazilian agribusiness imported US$ 16,61 billion.
“The country has also launched an ambitious program to convert degraded pastures into arable land, seeking to sustainably double production and contribute significantly to the development of the interior. In 2024, the country will consolidate itself as a global agricultural power, reinforcing resilience and sustainability in the sector, essential for economic development and as an important supplier of food to the world", concludes Perosa.
Brazilian exports of agribusiness products were US$13,51 billion in December 2023, a value US$2,34 billion higher compared to the same month in 2022, which represented growth of 20,9%.
The December result, according to data from SCRI/Mapa, was strongly influenced by the increase in volume shipped, whose index rose 28,9%, despite the 6,1% drop in the average export prices of Brazilian agribusiness products.
Soybeans, cane sugar, soybean meal and beef are, for SCRI analysts, the products that contributed most to the growth in exports in the month.
Highlight of December, soybean grain exports reached a volume of 3,83 million tons. This quantity shipped was 97,8% higher than that exported in the same period last year. The sector is most responsible for the growth in agribusiness foreign sales. Soybean grain exports reached US$1,99 billion in December 2023, an increase of 66,2%.
Soybean grain shipments to China were US$1,2 billion. The country acquired 86,5% of the total volume of soybeans exported by Brazil in the period.
The volume of sugar exported was also a record for the months of December, reaching 3,85 million tons, an increase of 74,9%. The product that stood out in sales during the period with a total of US$2,04 billion, an increase of 113,7%.
As with soybeans, China remains the main import market for Brazilian raw cane sugar, with US$330,65 million, growth of 108,6% compared to December 2022.
Another product with favorable performance in December was soybean meal. Foreign sales of soybean meal rose from US$559 million in December 2022 to US$1,0 billion in 2023, an increase of 79,4%. The increase in value is mainly due to the increase in exported volume, which grew by 75,1%. The European Union, Iran and Indonesia were the largest importers of the Brazilian product.
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