São Paulo – SLC Agrícola, a company that is among the main owners of land in Brazil, expanded exports by 42% last year. The figures are in the company balance sheet, disclosed yesterday (5). According to a report by SLC Agrícola, the foreign market answered, in 2008, to 54.9% of company gross operating revenues, which reached 441.3 million reals (US$ 185.3 million). In the previous year, exports answered to 58.9% of revenues, which were well below, 287.9 million reals (US$ 120.9 million).
Despite share of foreign trade revenues having dropped a little, there was 72.7 million real growth in exports from one year to the next. The value was calculated considering the gross revenues disclosed by the company. SLC Agrícola had a good performance in foreign sales of two of the main commodities it cultivates, cotton and soy. SLC Agrícola is one of the main owners of area cultivated with cotton, maize and soy in Brazil, and also a large producer of coffee.
In cotton, for example, SLC Agrícola obtained around 21 million reals (US$ 8.8 million) with exports. The foreign market answered to 61.4% of gross revenues of the company with the crop, which totalled 34.3 million reals (US$ 14.4 million). Foreign sales of soy answered to 66.1% of total revenues obtained by the company with the commodity, which reached 140.6 million reals (US$ 59 million). In 2007, revenues were much lower, 98 million reals (US$ 41 million), and exports answered to 66.7%. There was 27 million reals (US$ 11.3 million) growth in revenues.
The same positive performance was not identified in the grain and coffee crops. Last year, gross revenues obtained with maize, 64.3 million reals (US$ 27 million) and 21% came from the foreign market. That is, 13.5 million reals (US$ 5.7 million). In 2007, however, maize exports answered to 63.6% of revenues of 28.5 million reals (US$ 12 million). That is, around 18 million reals (US$ 7.6 million). Last year, coffee was responsible for 52.9% of revenues, or 4.9 million reals (US$ 2.0 million) connected to exports, against 89% of the 10.6 million obtained with the culture in 2007.
According to the company report, there was, in the case of cotton, growth in the average price of commodities on the international market and also growth in the planted area. Soy also presented increases in prices and cultivated area. SLC Agrícola picked 53,100 tonnes of cotton, 257,900 tonnes of soy, 172,400 tonnes of maize and 985 tonnes of coffee.
In general, SLC Agrícola had a good performance last year. Company net revenues grew 53.9% and reached 413 million reals (US$ 173.4 million). The Ebitda grew 144% to 155.3 million reals (US$ 64.4 million). Net revenues, however, advanced less, 4.2%, to 44.6 million reals (US$ 18.7 million). SLC Agrícola is an open capital company listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa). The company has 11 production units in six Brazilian states. In the 2007/2008 crop, the company planted 170,600 hectares.
*Translated by Mark Ament
