Agência Brasil
Brasília – Brazilian beef exports totaled US$ 1.67 billion in the 12-month period ending in March, according to the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA). This was 45% more than the value of beef exports (US$ 1.14 billion) for the April 2002/March 2003 period.
According to the CNA, there was a recuperation in average export prices. Fresh beef exports, which were negotiated for US$ 1.6 thousand per ton in March, 2003, commanded an average price of US$ 2.2 thousand per ton in March of this year.
The domestic market evidenced an increase in production costs and a drop in the prices paid to producers. In the first quarter of this year, total operational costs rose 1.25%, while the prices of fattened cattle, ready for market, fell 5.03%.
