São Paulo – Brazilian exports of honey totalled US$ 65.79 million last year, representing growth of 51% in comparison with the previous year. In terms of volume, there was growth of 42%, equivalent to 26,000 tonnes. According to figures supplied by Agência Sebrae, the price of honey reached a record high, at US$ 2.77 per kilogram.
The main destination was the United States, with US$ 41.13 million in sales. Volume-wise, the United States purchased 16,980 tonnes. Next came Germany, with US$ 13.61 million, equivalent to 4,840 tonnes. The United Kingdom came in third, with US$ 6.05 million in purchases, equivalent to 2,560 tonnes.
The share of the United States market in Brazilian exports went down from 73.1%, in 2008, to 62.5%, in 2009. The share of Germany, on the other hand, rose from 16.5%, in 2008, to 20.7%, last year. The United Kingdom recorded the highest growth, from 2.2% to 9.2%.
The decline in honey production in the United States, the end of the and the return of Brazilian honey to the European Union market, in 2008, are among the reasons for the good performance of the industry, according to the businessman Paulo Levy, of Cearape, the main organic honey exporting company in the country.
The leading exporting state was São Paulo, with US$ 17.51 million. The state accounted for one quarter of total national sales in 2009. The state of Ceará ranked second, with US$ 14.37 million, and Rio Grande do Sul ranked third, with US$ 9.68 million.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
