Brazilian agri-food exports unaffected by the pandemic

According to a statement from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, agri-food exports were unaffected by the pandemic in March with export sales totalling $9.29 billion (+13.3% compared to March 2019), an increase of $1.09 billion.

This growth was a result of an 18.8% increase in volumes, while the price index fell by 4.7% (data elaborated by the Ministry’s Trade and International Relations Secretariat, SCRI). Export growth was driven in particular by soybeans ($3.98 billion), sugar ($441 million) and fresh meat ($555 million).

China’s share of Brazilian agricultural exports rose to 41% compared to 34.2% in March 2019. In particular, sales of soybeans in the Chinese market increased from 5.9 million tonnes ($2.1 billion) to 8.8 million tonnes ($3.02 billion). China also increased its imports of Brazilian meat by 101.1% to a total of $451.45 million, almost one third of the total value of Brazilian meat exports.