Agribusiness breaks record exports in April, with US$ 15,24 billion

With a record value, Brazilian foreign sales of agribusiness products were US$15,24 billion in April 2024, a value 3,9% higher compared to the US$14,67 billion exported in the same month of 2023. This The result corresponded to 49,3% of Brazil's total exports.

The April balance was strongly influenced by the increase in volume shipped, which rose 17,1%. In relation to the average prices of agricultural products, there was a drop of 11,3%, making it impossible to record an even more significant value in exports.

Brazilian grain exports reached a volume close to 18,5 million tons in April 2024, a number that corresponds to an expansion of 6,7% compared to the 17,3 million tons exported in the same month of April 2023 .

Brazilian products

According to data from the Secretariat of Commerce and International Relations, cane sugar, fresh beef, coffee, cotton not carded or combed and cellulose are the products that contributed most to the growth in exports in the month.

Highlighted for having the highest export value among all Brazilian agribusiness products, soybeans accounted for the majority of the sector's exports. The volume exported reached 14,70 million tons, an increase of 362,4 thousand tons compared to the quantity shipped in April 2023. The quantity is the third largest ever recorded for a month in the entire historical series.

China is the main importer of Brazilian oilseed, having purchased practically ten million tons or the equivalent of US$4,29 billion.

Foreign sales of Brazilian meat reached US$2,21 billion in April 2024, with growth of 27,5% compared to exports in April 2023. Records of foreign sales of beef were US$1,04 billion (+69,2%), with a strong expansion in exported volume, which increased from 133,40 thousand tons to 236,77 thousand tons in the period under analysis (+77,5%). This volume is a record for the months of April. One of the biggest reasons for the expansion in the quantity exported is the increase in Chinese demand for fresh Brazilian beef.

Another highlight is the sugar and alcohol complex, which continues to record export records. In no April in the historical series had the sector's exports exceeded the figure of one billion.

In the month of April 2024, the sugar and alcohol complex's foreign sales were US$ 1,07 billion, a number that meant a growth of 77,6% compared to the US$ 600,07 million exported in April 2023. The growth was obtained due to sugar exports, which almost doubled in volume (+94,7%), in the comparison between April 2023 and 2024.

Exports January to April (1st quarter)

In the first four months of 2024, Brazilian agribusiness exports reached a record value of US$52,39 billion, which represented growth of 3,7% compared to the US$50,52 billion exported in the same period of the previous year. The increase in quantity shipped is the factor that explains the expansion in value, since the quantum index increased by 14,8%, while the price index fell by 9,6%.

The main products that explain the growth in exports in 2024 were: raw cane sugar (+US$ 2,41 billion); uncarded and uncombed cotton (+US$1,36 billion); green coffee (+US$958,32 million); fresh beef (+US$814,62 million) and refined sugar (+US$589,73 million). The sum of the increase in foreign sales of these five mentioned products was US$6,13 billion, while the growth in total exports was US$1,87 billion.

Accumulated twelve months (May 2023 to April 2024)

Between May 2023 and April 2024, Brazilian agribusiness exports reached US$168,36 billion, which represented an expansion of 4,7% compared to the US$160,86 billion exported in the immediately previous twelve months.

Thus, Brazilian agribusiness products represented 49,3% of Brazilian exports in the period, 1,3 percentage points more than the share of agribusiness in foreign sales between January and November 2022.