Brazil draws plans to expand meat exports to African Union

On Friday (Feb 23), Minister Carlos Fávaro announced that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) will dedicate efforts to expand the reach of Brazilian meat traders into the African Union. The comment was made during an event in Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Mato Grosso.

The initiative stems from a request from the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who recognized the commercial opportunity during bilateral meetings with leaders of African countries on a trip undertaken this month.

In a conversation with journalists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Lula hailed the historical and economic significance of Brazil’s relationship with the African continent. “We must maintain a preferential relationship with the African continent. Not only because the African continent is part of our history, our culture, our way of being, speaking, and singing, as well as our color of skin, but also because the African continent is an extraordinary space for those who believe that the Global South will catch everyone’s eyes during the 21st century,” he argued.

See below Brazilian meat exports (beef, poultry, pork) to Africa between January 2022 and December 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Meat Exports to Africa | Jan 2022 – Dec 2023 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Brazilian Exports

In 2024 alone, Brazil has opened 15 new markets. In 2023, we saw 78 openings in 39 countries, exceeding the numbers of the last four years. Highlights include Brazilian beef and pork sales to Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Brazil also opened the possibility of trading cotton in Egypt and papaya fruits in Chile.

“Such a record with new openings is the result of the intense international dialogue and diplomatic relations. This creates new opportunities for national agribusiness producers to export dozens of products and access previously unseen destinations, generating income and employment throughout the country,” explains Roberto Perosa, Secretary of Commerce and International Relations of Mapa.

Brazilian agribusiness exports to the African continent reached over US$ 10 billion in 2023, an increase of about 8% compared to the previous year. Top products traded are part of the agro-industrial complex sector (US$ 4.82 billion), which includes, for example, sugarcane and alcohol.

Overall, Brazilian agribusiness exports reached a new high in 2023, totaling US$ 166.49 billion. The figure was 4.8% higher than in 2022, representing an increase of $7.62 billion. Thus, agribusiness accounted for 49% of Brazil’s total export agenda in 2023. The previous year, the participation rate was 47.5%.

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