Data released on January 4 by the Ministry of Economy point out that in 2020, Brazil recorded record volumes shipped for its main commodities, with emphasis on oil, sugar, and meat imported by China, while coffee also had a record year. Shipments of soybeans, Brazil’s main export product in terms of value, grew 13% compared to 2019, to 83 million tons, due to steady Chinese demand. Brazilian oil exports last year reached 70.6 million tons, up 18.5% compared to 2019, with countries like China taking advantage of low prices to purchase large quantities. In revenue, shipments fell almost 19% to $ 19.5 billion. Shipments of fuel oils also reached historic highs of 15.5 million tons, as pre-salt production grows. Soybean meal exports had historical highs last year, totaling 17.5 million tons. Unroasted coffee ended the year with historical shipments of 2.373 million tons with an increase of 7.2% in volume shipped and an increase of 9.6% in billing, to almost 5 billion dollars. Sugar was another product that set record export levels, much in the wake of Chinese purchases, who managed to get out of the pandemic faster, although the coronavirus originated in the Asian country. Total shipments of the sweetener reached 31 million tons, totaling almost 9 billion dollars. In the case of corn, exports fell about 18% from a record of 42.7 million tons exported in 2019.
Sources: Reuters / G1 / Datamar News