São Paulo – Maize exports of Minas Gerais state were record in the first five months of the year, according to figures disclosed by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, in a report issued by Agência Minas, the state’s news agency. Revenues with foreign sales were multiplied by 11.4 times as against the same period in 2010, reaching US$ 53.1 million.
According to a spokesperson for the Minas Gerais state Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Márcia Aparecida de Paiva Silva, the value exported from January to May 2011 exceeded the 2008 record by 137.2%. "Maize grain exports for animal and human consumption topped the list. Revenues with exports of this kind of grain represented around 78% of Minas Gerais state sector exports,” she said.
From January to May 2011, Minas Gerais was the third main exporter of maize for human and animal consumption in Brazil, with a 6.1% share in Brazilian foreign trade in the area.
*Translated by Mark Ament
