Brazil’s Rice Exports Surge 34% in January; Imports Decline

Brazil exported 112,500 tonnes of rice (paddy basis) in January 2025, generating $35.9 million in revenue. The figures reflect a 34% increase in volume and a 35% rise in value compared to the same period last year. The data was compiled by the Brazilian Rice Industry Association (Abiarroz) based on reports from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (MDIC).

The chart below explores Brazil’s containerized rice exports shipped between January 2021 and December 2024. The data comes from DataLiner.

Rice Exports | Jan 2021 – Dec 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

On the import side, Brazil purchased 118,600 tonnes of rice (paddy basis) last month, spending $40.3 million—a 43% drop in volume and a 54% decline in value compared to January 2024.

Processed Rice Exports

Shipments of processed rice, which accounted for 99.7% of total exports, reached 112,300 tonnes in January 2025, bringing in $35.8 million. Both volume and value increased 34% from the previous year.

The top destinations for Brazil’s processed rice exports in January were Senegal, Gambia, Peru, Cape Verde, the United States, Cuba, Uruguay, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, and Chile.

Mexico was absent from the export list at the start of 2025 after revoking the tariff exemption on Brazilian processed rice. The zero-duty policy, previously included in Mexico’s PACIC program—a domestic initiative to curb inflation—was recently amended, removing the exemption for processed rice imports.

“As of now, only paddy rice remains tariff-free, while processed rice is once again subject to a 16% import duty, impacting competitiveness in the Mexican market,” explained Abiarroz President Elton Doeler. “Efforts are underway to secure equal treatment, particularly in relation to other Mercosur countries.”

Since PACIC’s implementation in May 2022, Brazilian rice exports to Mexico surged more than tenfold, soaring from 32,000 tonnes to 450,000 tonnes. Mexico remains one of the eight priority markets identified by Brazilian Rice, an export initiative led by Abiarroz in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).

Source: Agro em Dia

Original news report available at: https://agroemdia.com.br/2025/02/20/brasil-inicia-2025-com-aumento-de-34-nas-exportacoes-de-arroz/

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