Brazilian fruit exports grow fast, but country still trails global leaders

Brazil has land, water, a favorable climate, agricultural technology, crop diversity and annual fruit production of more than 40 million metric tons. Even so, it remains something of a sleeping giant in international fruit trade.

Less than 3% of the country’s production is exported, according to the Brazilian Fruit Growers and Exporters Association, known as Abrafrutas.

The contradiction is striking: Brazil is among the world’s three largest fruit producers, yet ranks only 23rd among fruit exporters, according to figures cited by Abrafrutas President Waldyr Promicia. The problem, in other words, does not appear to be a shortage of fruit.

In 2025, Brazilian fruit exports reached a record $1.45 billion for the third consecutive year, rising 12% in value and 19.6% in volume. From January through August 2026, shipments of fresh or dried fruit and non-oil nuts totaled $880.52 million, up 23.67% from $711.97 million in the same period of 2025.

The chart below shows Brazil’s main fruit exports in the first half of 2026. The data come from the DataLiner platform:

Top Fruit Exports | H1 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Growth is clearly there. The question is why Brazil, with such a large production base, remains so far behind the world’s leading exporters.

Ranking highlights the scale of the challenge

There is an important methodological caveat.

The broadest international ranking available for comparison between countries uses Chapter 08 of the Harmonized System, which covers edible fruits and nuts, whether fresh, frozen or dried. Those figures are therefore not directly comparable with the narrower Brazilian fruit data used by Abrafrutas and the federal government.

Under that broader classification, the world’s 10 largest exporters in 2024 were:

1. United States — $16.4 billion
2. Spain — $11.2 billion
3. Mexico — $9.6 billion
4. Netherlands — $9.4 billion
5. Chile — about $8.3 billion
6. Vietnam — about $7.8 billion
7. China — about $7.7 billion
8. Peru — about $7.5 billion
9. Thailand — about $7.3 billion
10. Turkey — about $7.1 billion

Global trade in fruit and nuts under HS Chapter 08 totaled about $145.9 billion in 2024.

Brazil’s contrast with Chile is particularly telling. Chile exported $8.63 billion in fruit products in 2025, up 1.3% from 2024. Fresh cherries alone generated around $3.38 billion.

In other words, a country with a fraction of Brazil’s landmass exports nearly six times more fruit products by value.

The difference is not simply one of farm size. It is a question of the export model.

What is Brazil missing?

The easiest answer would be to say Brazilian fruit is not price-competitive. But that explanation would be incomplete.

Brazil produces internationally competitive fruit with recognized quality. Mangoes, melons, limes, papayas, grapes, avocados, bananas and apples already have buyers abroad.

In the first quarter of 2026, exports rose 25% in value and 13% in volume, reaching $351.1 million and more than 330,000 metric tons. Mangoes, watermelons, bananas, avocados and apples posted particularly strong gains.

By the end of the first half, the sector had reached $707.9 million and 619,100 metric tons, up 20.64% in value and 13.32% in volume. By August, exports had climbed to about $880 million, a 23.7% increase from the same period in 2025.

The problem lies in the broader operating environment.

Logistics remains one of the biggest bottlenecks

Fresh fruit cannot wait.

It requires an uninterrupted cold chain, efficient ports, container availability, regular shipping services, reliable inland transport and predictable costs.

Abrafrutas has repeatedly pointed to transport costs and the limited scale of individual shipments as barriers to Brazilian competitiveness.

Because Brazil still exports relatively small volumes, fruit often occupies only part of available container capacity and relies on services shared with other cargoes.

The result is a difficult cycle: low volume means expensive freight; expensive freight reduces competitiveness; and weaker competitiveness limits export volumes.

Producing fruit is not enough. Production must also be designed around international markets.

Standardization is another hurdle

International buyers are not simply looking for good-tasting fruit.

They require consistency in size, color, firmness, appearance, shelf life, residue levels, traceability, packaging and regular supply.

In July, Abrafrutas itself highlighted traceability as an increasingly strategic requirement among importers, which want greater visibility into the origin and movement of fruit throughout the supply chain.

That is where Promicia’s recent comments align with the broader industry diagnosis. According to the Abrafrutas president, Brazil already has “production capacity, quality and markets,” but needs progress in structural policies, competitiveness, phytosanitary protection and the opening of new destinations.

Promicia has also advocated more research and more market access as priorities for the next federal government, regardless of who takes office in 2027.

Brazil still needs to accelerate approvals for chemical and biological crop protection products, strengthen phytosanitary controls, increase the number of inspectors at entry and exit points, and develop stronger financing and crop insurance mechanisms, according to demands Abrafrutas has presented to the Agriculture Ministry.

Chile offers lessons for Brazil

Replicating Chile’s model in full would be neither possible nor necessary. But studying it is difficult to avoid.

Chile built its export position over decades by combining specialized production, plant health standards, trade promotion, international agreements, infrastructure and coordination between government and the private sector.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has previously identified free trade agreements as important drivers of Chilean fruit export growth. It also highlighted the role of SAG, the country’s plant and animal health authority, and ProChile, its export promotion agency, in building the country’s international reputation.

Chile now has an extensive network of trade agreements with markets including China, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Australia and members of the Pacific Alliance.

The result is a country that sells food to more than 170 markets and uses quality, traceability and food safety as pillars of its export brand.

Chile also benefits from a significant geographic advantage: counter-seasonality. While the Northern Hemisphere is in winter, Chile can supply markets with fruit grown during its summer.

Chile’s agricultural policy office ODEPA points to the combination of trade agreements, natural conditions, geographic barriers, institutional organization and counter-seasonality as key factors behind the development of its fruit sector.

The country has also learned to turn plant health into a commercial asset. It has developed sophisticated phytosanitary protocols, including the so-called systems approach, which can facilitate access to demanding markets while managing risks and improving fruit condition on arrival.

That marks a fundamental difference: Chile does not treat exports as whatever is left after serving the domestic market. Exports are built into production planning.

Brazil is beginning to shift

There are signs of change.

The Frutas do Brasil project, developed by Abrafrutas in partnership with Brazil’s export promotion agency ApexBrasil, has been taking Brazilian companies to international trade shows, business meetings and commercial missions.

The Mercosur-European Union agreement could also create an important opening. Lower tariffs, particularly for products that currently face disadvantages against competitors already entering Europe on better terms, could improve Brazilian competitiveness.

Abrafrutas sees the agreement as a strategic opportunity.

There is, however, a paradox. While Brazil is still working to enter markets, Chile and other competitors are trying to improve their position in markets they have already secured.

Competition will therefore not be about volume alone. It will also be about quality, price, reliability, delivery times, traceability, packaging, branding and consistency.

Under the broader HS Chapter 08 ranking, Brazil would need to multiply its fruit and nut exports several times over to reach the current top 10.

Doing so within just three years does not appear realistic.

But one important factor is working in Brazil’s favor: exports are already growing quickly.

Export value rose 12% in 2025, more than 20% in the first half of 2026 and 23.67% in the first eight months of the year.

Abrafrutas itself is working toward a more concrete target: bringing Brazilian fruit exports close to $2 billion by 2028.

That would be a significant leap, although still not enough to put Brazil among the world’s 10 largest exporters under the broader international classification.

A more realistic objective for the next three years, according to the analysis, would be to double Brazil’s presence in international fruit trade while building the conditions needed for a push toward the top 10 later in the decade.

That path depends on five main fronts: cheaper and more predictable logistics, greater market access, stronger phytosanitary defenses, standardization and traceability, and a permanent trade promotion policy.

Above all, Brazil still needs to turn its enormous production capacity into a national fruit export strategy.

The question is whether the country will continue producing fruit on a global scale while allowing others to capture much of the value available in international markets — or whether it will finally turn its agricultural strength into commercial strength.

Source: Comex do Brasil

Sharing is caring!