São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness exports in December 2009 broke records for the month. Sales totalled US$ 4.98 billion, which represented growth of 4.4% over the same period in 2008. The figures were disclosed today (8) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.
Despite the performance, in the accumulated result for the year, the value of shipments dropped 9.8% as against the result for 2008, to US$ 64.7 billion. The reduction, however, was smaller than that registered by Brazilian exports as a whole, which fell 22.7% in 2009.
In December, agribusiness sales were mainly boosted by the meat sector, with exports of US$ 1.07 billion, growth of 22.8% over the same month in the previous year. In the case of raw chicken, there was growth of 28.5% in the value exported. The growth in sales of pork was 34.2% and, in beef, 26.8%.
In 2009, agribusiness sector exports to developing countries were consolidated. The Asian market gained a prominent position as the main destination for sector exports, growing 16.7% and buying 30.4% of the total sold by Brazil. In the second place came the European Union, whose participation in Brazilian sales dropped from 33.1% to 29.3%.
The growth of 14.4% in exports to the Middle East made the region the third main destination for agribusiness sales, overtaking the Nafta, an economic bloc that includes the United States, Canada and Mexico, which fell to the fourth position.
In the Arab market, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the main sector importers. Brazilian exports to Saudi Arabia totalled US$ 1.5 billion, expansion of 5.1% over 2008. The country participation in the total volume of agribusiness sales rose from 2% to 2.3%. In the case of the Emirates, sales rose to US$ 1.4 billion, growth of 49.8% in the same comparison. The country participation rose from 1.1% to 1.8%.
The countries in Africa also expanded their Brazilian agribusiness imports, by 3.1%. The continent was responsible for the purchase of 7.7% of Brazilian agricultural products.
Imports
In December, Brazilian agribusiness imports grew 13.2% over the same month in 2008. The purchases totalled US$ 1.005 billion, registering a trade balance surplus of US$ 3.97 billion in the month. With regard to 2009, imports dropped 16.9%, from US$ 11.8 billion in 2008 to US$ 9.8 billion last year. The agribusiness trade balance surplus totalled US$ 54.9 billion, well above the total Brazilian trade balance surplus, which was just US$ 25 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament