São Paulo – Egypt was the third largest importer of beans produced in Brazil year-to-date through July, as per data from the Comex Stat system of the Ministry of Economy. The Arab country purchased USD 2.8 million year-to-date through July, up 600% from a year ago, when the Egyptian market imported USD 442,200 in Brazilian beans.
“Egypt, besides having a market with a good consumption of pulses (dry beans), is a connection hub to other countries. Egypt re-exports part of its imports,” as Brazilian Beans and Pulses Institute (Ibrafe) president Marcelo Lüders told ANBA. He says the trend is that bean exports grow even more as relations between Brazil and the markets get closer and closer and the sector receives government support.
Overall, Brazilian bean exports grossed USD 57,1 million year-to-date, up 34% from a year ago, when it stood at USD 42.7 million. Lüders said that the growth results from an action plan that came into effect in 2017. Brazil had only one cultivar of beans to export then, he said.
In partnership with the Bean Chamber affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) draw attention to this market and established connections with research institutions, such as the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), and Agronomic Institute of Paraná (Iapar), supplying them with information on the cultivars that would have a demand in both Brazil and abroad. “Last year, we exported eight cultivars for over 70 countries,” said Lüders.
Ibrafe president points out that the large growth in the consumption of vegetal protein is putting Brazil as an exponent in this industry. “We’ve increased production without increasing the planted area through new technologies,” he said. The National Company of Supply (Conab) reports that Brazilian 2015-2016 crop saw a production of 2.5 million tonnes of beans. The 2018-2019 crop attained a production of 3 million tonnes, as per the last survey.
The sector’s goal as part of the National Plan for Pulses made public last year is making exports reach 500,000 tonnes per year by 2018. “Ibrafe and the Brazilian Council of Beans and Pulses (CBFP) work to reach this number within five years,” Lüders said. Data available at Comex Stat show that Brazil exported 86,000 tonnes of beans year through July.
The top buyer of beans from Brazil year-to-date through July was Vietnam, at USD 26.9 million spent with the product imports, followed by India, at USD 16.8 million. In addition to these two and Egypt, the top ten market list feature Pakistan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Portugal and Nepal. The United Arab Emirates and Algeria are on the top 30 list of buyers.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
