São Paulo – Exports by Brazilian agribusiness reached USD 8.89 billion in April, an increase of 2.7% over the same month of 2017, according to data released this Tuesday (15) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). The sector accounted for 44.8% of total foreign sales by the country last month, according to MAPA.
The highlight in April, according to the ministry, was the performance of the forest products group, especially wood pulp (pictured above), with exports climbing 40.3% over the same month of last year to USD 643.8 million.
The soy complex, which leads foreign sales by the Brazilian agribusiness, registered an increase of 30.7% in revenues, to USD 614.21 million, with exports of soy bran. MAPA reported that a drought impacted soy production in Argentina, which allowed Brazil to increase exports of the product.
MAPA also points out the increase in foreign sales of cattle, tobacco and orange juice.
Among the 20 top destinations in the month, Saudi Arabia is the only Arab country to appear on the list, with purchases worth USD 109.61 million, down 51.2% over April of 2017. China was, by far, the biggest market for the Brazilian agribusiness in the period, with imports of USD 3.65 billion.
Year-to-date
From January to April, the Brazilian agribusiness exported USD 30.47 billion worth of products, up 4.4% over the same period of last year. The country’s total foreign sales have been increasing in a quicker pace than foreign sales by the agribusiness, therefore the agribusiness share in total exports declined from 42.8% in 2017’s first four months to 40.9% in the same period of 2018.
According to MAPA, from January to April stood out the exports of wood pulp, tobacco, soy bran, cattle and orange juice.
Saudi Arabia appears in 12th place among the 20 top markets, with imports worth USD 569 million, a decline of 34% over last year’s first four months. The United Arab Emirates stood at 18th, with imports of USD 410 million, up 9% in the same comparison.
Top Arab markets
According to MAPA, year-over-year, two Arab countries stood out among importers of Brazilian products: Egypt, with USD 2.14 billion in imports, up 96.7% over the previous 12 months; and the UAE, with USD 1.72 billion in imports, up 26.5% in the same comparison. Both destinations appear, respectively, at the 8th and 15th position among the top 20 markets in the period. Saudi Arabia appears at the 14th place, with USD 1.84 billion in imports, a decline of 19.4%.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
