São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness exports grossed USD 88.22 billion in 2015, down 8.8% from USD 96.75 billion in 2014, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply reported this Monday (11) in Brasília. Imports plummeted 21.3% to USD 13.07 billion. The ensuing trade surplus was USD 75.15%. Agribusiness products accounted for 46.2% of total exports from Brazil last year.
According to the ministry, despite the decline in sales figures, volume increased for several products. The amounts of soy, soy bran, raw chicken and green coffee beans exported from Brazil were the highest ever.
Soybean exports fetched USD 20.982 billion, down 9.8%, but shipped volume was up 18.9% to 54.3 million tons. The Ministry reported that in 2014, Brazilian soy was exported for USD 509 per ton. Last year, the average price dropped to USD 386 per ton, a 24.2% decline.
Soy bean, bran and oil were the top-selling product group, grossing USD 27.957 billion, down 11% from 2014. Beef exports reached USD 14.7 billion, down 15.5%, and forest products’ exports fetched USD 10.33 billion, up 3.8%. Sugar and ethanol exports reached USD 8.5 billion (-17.7%) and coffee exports fetched USD 6.16 billion (-7.6%).
The leading importing region was Asia, at USD 38 billion, down 3.2% from 2014, followed by the European Union at USD 18.2 billion (-14.9%); Nafta (United States, Mexico and Canada), at USD 7.7 billion (-6%); the Middle East, at USD 7.2 billion (-0.4%); and Africa, at USD 5.8 billion (-11.2%).
China was the top individual importer of Brazilian agriculture and livestock products at USD 21.8 billion last year, down 3.6% from 2014, followed by the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan.
Saudi Arabia ranked 7th overall and was the top Arab buyer at USD 2.2 billion in 2015, up 8% from 2014. Egypt ranked 15th. Brazilian agribusiness exports to the North African country grossed USD 1.7 billion in 2015, down 1.9% from 2014. These were the two Arab nations in Brazil’s top 20 export list in 2015.
In December alone, Brazilian exports fetched USD 6.86 billion, up 1.4% from December 2014. Imports amounted to USD 896 million, down 28.1%. Meats, cereals, sugar and ethanol, forest products and soy bean, bran and oil were the top-selling products in December. The top agribusiness import products were wheat, fisheries, paper and malt.
At a press conference, the Agriculture Ministry’s International Relations secretary Tatiana Palermo said agribusiness export revenues “fell much less” than those of other sectors of the economy.
“The slowdown was far less pronounced than in other sectors [of the Brazilian economy which export]. We have kept the overall trade balance from falling too much and we also achieved a surplus at a very difficult time, even as the global economy is slowing down, especially China’s,” government news outlet Agência Brasil quoted Palermo as saying.
She also said the Ministry expects a 2% rebound in value and bigger export volumes in 2016. “For 2016, we are hoping to see revenues and export volume go up for beef, because we have begun selling to China, Saudi Arabia and Russia,” the secretary said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
