From the Newsroom*
São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness exports grew 16.9% in October when compared to the same month last year. Sales totalled US$ 3.7 billion. Between January and October, the Brazilian agriculture and livestock exports have already reached US$ 36.2 billion, presenting growth of 9.6% over the same months in 2004. The value is a historic record for ten-month periods, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.
One of the main highlights in the month of October was soy. In terms of revenues, foreign sales of the soy complex, which includes grain, chaff and oil, grew 37.2%, to US$ 782 million. If only soy in grain is taken into consideration, the growth in sales was 83.5%. The meat sector performance was also expressive. Exports rose 28%, from US$ 554 million to US$ 710.4 million.
Sugar also had growth of 18.8% in foreign sales, rising from US$ 271 million, in October last year, to US$ 322 million last month. The value of alcohol exported rose 173.8%, from US$ 32.8 million to US$ 89.8 million. "This result confirms the promising perspectives for Brazilian alcohol in the global market, due to high oil prices and to the lack of reserves, together with the growing search for renewable fuels," stated the minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, in a statement published by the Ministry.
The European Union is still the main foreign destinations for agricultural products. The bloc answered to 33.4% of sales in October. Asia was the second largest partner, with 18.8% of the total, followed by the countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) – United States, Mexico and Canada -, with 18.1%, and the Middle East, with 5.3%. Eastern Europe increased its purchases by 50.5% last month, Africa by 17.2%, Asia by 17.2%, the European Union by 15.2% and the Mercosur, the customs union between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, by 11.5%. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the increase in sales to Europe and Asia took place mainly due to the shipment of soy and soy products.
In the accumulated result for the last twelve months, Brazilian agribusiness exports reached US$ 42.1 billion. This value represents an increase of 10.5% over the period from November 2003 to October 2004. The surplus was US$ 37.1 billion. In October the surplus was US$ 3 billion and in the first ten months of the year US$ 32 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament
