Brazilian fruit exports fall 11% in the first half of 2022

Due to an unfavorable climate in the year’s first half, the Brazilian fruit market saw an 11% decrease in the value and volume of fruit exports.

However, despite these and other factors that contributed to this reduction, export operations for melon, lemon, and watermelon increased in the first six months of the year compared to the previous year’s period.

In melon exports, the average for the semester totaled more than US$ 56.1 million in sales, an increase of 7%. Shipments totaled 94.1 thousand tonnes of fruit, 9% more than in the same period of the previous year.

According to the Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Derivatives (Abrafrutas), Central America had historically fulfilled the role of sending large quantities of melons to the European Union (EU) in the year’s first half.

However, due to various climatic issues, the amount traditionally supplied was significantly reduced; as a result, Brazil moved a portion of the melons that would have been sold in the local market for export to fulfill the increased demand from Europe.

Watermelon also recorded an increase, with a 20% increase in volume and 32% in value. The executive director of Abrafrutas, Eduardo Brandão, says that the growth in watermelon exports can be explained by the same reasons as melons, though there is also the question that enhanced fruit quality brought watermelon consumption in Europe to a higher level.

In lemon exports, the average for the semester totaled US$ 75.9 million, an increase of 12% in sales. Shipments totaled almost 90 thousand tonnes of fruit, 14% more than in the same period of the previous year.

This growth, according to Abrafrutas, is explained by the increase in planting areas and the entry of new players in the export market. In addition, the search for more immunity due to covid-19 has increased lemon consumption in Europe since 2020, the leading destination for Brazilian fruit exports.

Further analysis 

Other fruits like mango and grapes had their export numbers reduced. The bad weather in the São Francisco Valley in the first half of 2022 was one of the significant reasons restricting these fruits’ shipments. “The rains reduced production and quality of the fruits produced, resulting in a decrease in exported quantities and a dip in prices paid in the overseas market,” stated Abrafrutas’s director.

Apple exports also declined thanks to a 30% decrease in harvest yields due to the drought in the south of Brazil, which produced a dip in productivity and a fall in the size of the fruits, particularly in the Gala variety. Furthermore, the war between Russia and Ukraine confirmed this outcome in apple shipments, as Russia is one of the critical destinations for Brazilian fruit.

H2 2022

Despite the recent negative record, the director of Abrafrutas expects that things will improve in the following months and that the industry will be able to export as much as it did in the same period in 2021.

“A good weather is expected for the following months, which will most likely result in enhanced fruit quality and output, allowing us to grow again. We recognize that it will be difficult to beat the performance of 2021 owing to the poor performance in the first half; but, because the volume of exports traditionally increases in the latter six months of the year, we are trying to match the export figures of last year at least,” commented Brandão.

Source: Canal Rural

To read the full original article, please go to: https://www.canalrural.com.br/noticias/economia/exportacoes-brasileiras-de-frutas-recuam-11-no-1o-semestre-de-2022/

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