Brazilian exports of cookies, pasta, breads, and cakes grew 52% in 2020

In 2020, the categories surveyed by ABIMAPI (the Brazilian association of cookies, pasta, and industrialized bread & cakes) were responsible for exports worth US$ 196.3 million, an increase of 15% in relation to the total exported in 2019, which was in the order of US$ 171 million. In volume, the increase was even more significant: 52%, totaling 158,000 tons of products sold abroad.

“In 2020, the crisis caused a high demand for first-rate food products such as flour, mixes, pasta, instant pasta, bread, and frozen foods. Loaves of bread alone tripled the export turnover in 2020, with the main destination being South American countries”,  contextualizes Claudio Zanão, chief executive of ABIMAPI.

For 2021, the association expects to sustain the growth of these categories, projecting an average increase of at least 10% compared to 2020, in view of the permanence of the pandemic period and eventual financial crisis due to Covid-19.

“We will keep a careful eye on China among the target markets of our sector abroad. We must follow the growth forecast by the Chinese GDP of 8.2% in 2021, sustaining a substantial increase in Brazilian exports to the country in 2020 ”, concludes Zanão.

In 2020, Brazilian the value of exports to China grew 120% compared to 2019 – the destination rose 13 positions and became one of the top 30 in the sector abroad, the second in Asia after Japan.

Industrialized Breads & Cakes

The Industrialized Breads and Cakes categories moved a total of US $ 77.8 million in exported products – revenue 34% higher than in 2019 – resulting from the sale of 71,000 tons of products, an increase of 83%.

“These categories are gaining space in the market due to their practicality and longer useful life, with emphasis on mixes for breads and cakes. The category is also driven by the isolation caused by the pandemic and the increase in meals eaten at home. In addition, factors such as quality in the composition of products and packaging, in addition to a good price, determine the good export levels for loaves of bread and toast ”, highlights Claudio Zanão.

Pasta

Pasta was the category that stood out the most, with an expressive increase of 159% in revenues, totaling US$ 24.3 million in sales and 29,000 tons in volume, 247% more than in the same period of 2019.

“Pasta was one of the most consumed foods during the pandemic. Its growing popularity in different cultures around the world can be attributed not only to its delicious versatility but also because it is “easy on the pocket” of most families, “says Zanão.

Brazil strengthened its exports of hard pasta in 2020. Sales to El Salvador, Chile, Venezuela, and the United States, the main export destinations for the category in the last year, alone totaled US$ 15.7 million and 22,700 tons.

Cookies

Cookies totaled US$ 94 million in sales and 57,000 tons of exported products, indicating stability in volume when compared to the same period in 2019.

“The lack of confidence in the economy did not allow for large investments or long-term purchases, which led to the rationalization of consumption in the category”, explains Zanão.

Despite this panorama, it is reinforced that this is the strongest category in the ABIMAPI sector, and accounted for 43.5% of total Brazilian exports. In 2020, Brazilian cookie exports grew exponentially to important markets in South America, such as Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, as well as destinations in the Middle East, such as Yemen and Oman.

See the graph below for the Brazilian handling of the NCMs for dough and bakery products:

Brazilian Handling of Pasta (HS 1902) and Bakery Products (HS 1905) | Jan 2017 to Dec 2020 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (To request a DataLiner demo click here)

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