Brazil Relies on Imported Wheat Despite Near-Record Exports

In 2024, Brazil achieved its second-largest wheat harvest, producing 8 million tonnes. Despite this progress, the country is still not self-sufficient in wheat. The total volume of grain traded (including exports and imports) reached 9.48 million tonnes, highlighting Brazil’s reliance on foreign markets to meet domestic consumption, estimated at 12 to 13 million tonnes annually.

This gap resulted in the importation of 6.65 million tonnes of wheat in 2024, a significant 59% increase compared to 2023, according to the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex). On the other hand, Brazilian wheat exports performed well, reaching 2.83 million tonnes—a 20.4% increase over the previous year.

Here is an overview of historical data on Brazilian wheat imports in containers. The data is from DataLiner:

Brazilian Wheat Imports | Jan 2021 – Nov 2024| TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Production and Quality: Challenges for 2025

According to Giovani Ferreira, director of Canal Rural Sul, Brazil needs to intensify efforts to reduce its dependence on imported wheat. “For 2025, the National Supply Company (Conab) expectation is to match the 2024 production at least, once again reaching 8 million tons,” Ferreira stated.

However, he emphasized that the quality of domestically produced wheat is a crucial factor in this equation. “The domestic market demands high-quality bread wheat. It’s not enough to increase production without investing in genetics and biotechnology to ensure a competitive product,” the expert noted.

With an increasingly dynamic trade balance and structural challenges in production, Brazil continues to pursue balancing domestic supply while expanding its presence in the global wheat market.

Source: Globo Rural

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