The Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA) highlights that soybeans were the agribusiness product with the largest share in exports between January and October this year, 12% of the total value (US$ 18 billion).
Another relevant participation was raw sugar, in second place in the ranking: foreign sales of US$ 6.58 billion, 4% of the total sold abroad by the country in 2016.
Consolidated figures from the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), released this week, show that the country's total exports were US$ 153 billion, with imports of US$ 114 billion.
Of the agribusiness products, the biggest change in foreign sales in 2016 was raw sugar. Between January and October, sales in this segment grew by 40%, compared to the same period last year, an increase of US$ 1.89 billion. Total revenue was US$ 6.58 billion.
Foreign sales of ethanol increased by 23% in 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, totaling revenue of US$ 827 million. The main reason for this good performance was due to the increase in ethanol prices on the international market in recent months.
The sugar and alcohol sector is going through a period of restructuring after one of the worst crises in history, caused by the fall in international sugar prices and the fuel pricing policy, which favored gasoline over ethanol. This led to an increase in production costs, debt for plants and a lack of renewal of sugarcane fields.
Fall – The CNA notes that, despite the good performance of some agribusiness chains, until October this year, Brazilian exports showed a drop in all regions, with the exception of the Middle East, where there was a positive variation of 1%, and Oceania, which showed growth of 15%.
China and the United States were the two countries that imported the most from Brazil. The Chinese purchased US$ 32 billion, while the United States purchased US$ 18.8 billion. Still, these values represent a reduction of 4% and 5% in purchases, respectively.
Despite the positive balance of trade in 2016, between January and October, the value of exports was 5% lower than that obtained in the same period in 2015 (US$ 160 billion). Total imports also fell: 23% compared to the same period last year (US$ 148 billion).
