Exports of agribusiness products registered US$ 9,9 billion in February

The value exported by Brazilian agribusiness reached US$9,9 billion in February this year. The quantum index fell by around 12% and the export price index rose by almost 7%. The products that stood out during the month were corn, cellulose, soybean bran and oil and chicken meat.

In the month analyzed, there was a decline in exports due to the reduction in exported volumes of soybeans, influenced by the delay in harvesting, despite the record production estimated by the National Supply Company (Conab), at 151,4 million tons for 2022/ 2023.

Sugar and wheat also showed a drop in foreign sales. There was less domestic availability for export, due to concerns about the Argentine harvest in the case of wheat, and less sugar cane crushing due to climate reasons. 

Beef also had an unfavorable performance due to the international price reduction and decreased export volume. One of the reasons for this drop in volume is the atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (“mad cow” disease) reported on February 22 to the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO). Due to this case, exports to China were temporarily suspended from February 23rd. 

In the year to date, Brazilian agribusiness exports reached a record for the first two months: US$ 20,1 billion. Highlights include record exports of soybean meal and oil, chicken and pork, corn and cellulose. 

Corn

Brazilian corn shipments totaled more than 2 million tons, with foreign exchange worth US$689 million. According to the analysis of the Secretariat of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SCRI/Mapa), the favorable performance of the cereal is due to the low international supply and the high national production of the grain for the current harvest.

In the latest Conab survey, the harvest estimate is around 125 million tons of corn. In this way, Brazil should be the world's largest exporter of corn this season. 

The main importers of the grain in February were Japan, South Korea, Colombia, Algeria and Vietnam.

Cellulose

Foreign cellulose sales broke records in terms of value and volume for the months of February, reaching US$766 and 1,6 million tons, respectively. The most industrialized countries in the world are the biggest demanders of Brazilian cellulose: China, the European Union and the United States.

Soybean meal and oil

Foreign sales of soybean meal, a product of the soybean complex, reached US$710 million, due to the increase in the average export price, which rose 23%. The main importers were Thailand, the Netherlands, Poland, France and Indonesia.

Still in the soybean complex, soybean oil had a record performance in revenue and volume for the months of February, reaching US$268 million, despite a drop of around 16,8% in the average export price. India and Bangladesh boosted sales and imported 33% (73 thousand tons) and 25% (57 thousand tons), respectively, of the entire export volume.

Chicken meat

Meanwhile, chicken meat had a record for the months of February, with a record of 372 thousand tons and US$726 million. According to SCRI/Mapa analysts, Brazil, as it has no record of cases of bird flu, is able to achieve record shipments of this protein, compared to the global scenario. The main buyers were China, Saudi Arabia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.