Agriculture continues to lead the performance of exports in April

The balance of trade for April this year was US$ 8.2 billion, equaling the figure for April last year, as disclosed by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in the Foreign Trade Indicator (Icomex). In the comparison between the years, the value exported retreated 5.5%, driven by the 9.5% drop in prices, since the volume increased by 4.1%. The variation in imports was also negative, with a drop of 7.7%, explained by the 10.6% drop in prices, as the volume increased by 3.2%.

In the accumulated result for the year up to April, the value exported increased by 1.6%, with a 4.4% increase in volume and a 2.3% drop in prices. Imports in the same period had a decrease of 1.2% in prices, 1.3% in volume and 2.3% in value.

Commodities

Commodity exports correspond to 68.3% of total exports and fell, in the monthly comparison of April, by 7.4%. The 10.4% drop in prices explains this decline, as volume increased by 3%. Changes in prices, volume and value for non-commodities were negative. In the accumulated result for the year, the participation of commodities was 66.8% in total exports.

As for imports, non-commodities accounted for 89.5% in April, an increase of 2.8% in volume and a drop of 8.2% in prices. Commodities, on the other hand, had a 27.7% decline in prices and a 7.1% increase in volume.

farming

The agricultural sector was the only sector that recorded a positive change in export value, of 10.6%, in the monthly comparison of the month of April, explained by the increase of 20.1% in export volume, since prices fell by 8.2 %. Sector exports accounted for 32% of the total value of Brazilian exports in April this year. In April last year, this percentage was 27%.

Among the 23 main commodities exported by Brazil, the participation of soy in grain was 41.6% in the group of commodities and 28.3% in total Brazilian exports.

Safras e Mercado analyst Luiz Fernando Gutierrez Roque explains the situation of soy this year. “In general, it indicates a Brazilian recovery this season compared to last year, especially in the case of soybeans, which last year we had a very large drop in production due to La Niña, which affected the southern region and part of Mato Grosso. southern. This year we are confirming the harvest of a super crop, a record soybean crop, because all states in Brazil are harvesting very well, with the exception of Rio Grande do Sul, which again had some problems”, he reported.

Agriculture is the main source of dynamism for Brazilian exports so far, led by the increase in volume. Soybeans lead in the first half of the year, and the continuation of this central role depends on other agricultural exports in the second half.

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