Brazil’s Fruit Exports Rise 49% in a Decade, Discover Key Buyers and Top-Selling Products

Brazil’s fresh and dried fruit exports grew 49% over the past decade, rising from 733.2 million tonnes in 2014 to 1.1 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Agrostat, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock’s foreign trade database. While fruit exports have grown at a slower pace than overall agribusiness exports, the sector remains a key driver of the national economy, the report notes. “Fruit farming is largely based on family-run operations, generating jobs, adding value to agricultural products, and diversifying the rural economy,” Agrostat stated.

Brazil’s total agribusiness exports increased 87% in volume over the last ten years, reaching 264.2 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 140.8 billion tonnes in 2014. “Fruit cultivation is vital to Brazil’s agribusiness and national agriculture. Most of the production is consumed domestically, but exports highlight the role of fruit growers in Brazil’s competitive export market,” said Renato Francischelli, Country Director at Ascenza Brasil.

The chart below shows the main fruits exported by Brazil by sea in 2024. The data was extracted from DataLiner, a business intelligence tool from Datamar.

Top Fruit Exports from Brazil | 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

According to recent data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Brazil is the world’s third-largest fruit producer, with approximately 2.5 million hectares of planted area and around 5 million jobs generated by the sector. The latest survey by the Brazilian Association of Fruit and Derivatives Exporters (Abrafrutas) indicates that national fruit production reached 43 billion tonnes in 2023.

In revenue terms, fruit exports generated $1.3 billion for Brazil in 2024, compared to $840.8 million in 2014, according to Agrostat. Total agribusiness exports reached $164.4 billion last year, up from $140.8 billion a decade ago.

Among fresh fruit exports, mangoes, lemons and limes, melons, papayas, and watermelons were the top-performing categories in 2024, according to Comex Stat, a government trade database. Meanwhile, bananas, apples, and grapes saw weaker results due to adverse weather conditions.

Beyond climate-related challenges, including droughts and excessive rainfall, other factors continue to impact Brazilian fruit exports, such as slow market access approvals due to bureaucratic hurdles, product tariffs, and phytosanitary concerns, according to Abrafrutas.

Last year, the Netherlands was the top buyer of Brazilian fruit, accounting for 37% of exports, according to the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea). Other key markets included the United Kingdom (15%), the United States (13%), and Spain (10%). In South America, Argentina accounted for 3.3% of Brazil’s fruit exports in 2024.

Many exported fruits come from small and medium-sized producers who employ sustainable practices and receive incentives to ensure high-quality production. Looking ahead to 2025, Cepea expects fruit exports to continue expanding, supported by a strong U.S. dollar and the recovery of certain fruit crops.

According to Cepea, the primary challenges for fruit farming in the coming years will be adding value to products and leveraging technology to mitigate climate-related losses. In exports, Abrafrutas aims to strengthen its partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) to expand the country’s footprint in global fruit markets.

ApexBrasil stated that its goal is to increase export volumes, expand the customer base, and enhance Brazil’s global competitiveness in the fruit sector. The initiative seeks to position Brazilian fruit as a global benchmark for quality and innovation, reinforcing sustainable economic growth in the industry.

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