Brazil to become world’s largest grain exporter in five years – EMBRAPA survey

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Responsible for producing an amount of food that serves 800 million people worldwide, Brazil should continue to expand its contribution to world supply to the point of becoming the planet’s largest grain exporter within the next 5 years, overtaking the United States.

The data is part of a survey conducted by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).

According to the government organization, Brazil’s sales in the world food market increased from US$20.6 billion to US$100 billion in only 10 years, with meat, soy, corn, cotton and forest products as the highlights.

“Looking at the data for the past 20 years (2000 to 2020), Brazilian grain production grew 210%, while global production increased 60%. Brazil is the 4th-largest producer, but the 2nd-largest exporter of grains, basically soybeans and corn,” said Elisio Contini, EMBRAPA’s Scientific Researcher and Intelligence Manager at the Secretariat of Intelligence and Strategic Relations.

The largest exporter of grains in 2020 was the United States with 138 million tons. Brazil came in second, with 122 million tons.

“In the next 5 years Brazil should overtake the United States in terms of exports. Based on this history and with high international commodity prices, Brazil’s production should reach a 3% growth rate,” he said.

“And by 2050 Brazilian grain production could exceed 500 million tons, becoming even more critical for world food security,” he added.

The statement is based on the study “The Brazilian Agro feeds 800 million people,” recently released by EMBRAPA’s Secretariat of Intelligence and Strategic Relations, with Elisio Contini and Adalberto Aragão as authors.

Contini recalls that the Brazilian contribution to feeding the population is directly and indirectly reflected, as part of soybean and corn production is destined for cattle feed and, consequently, for the production of meat and milk.

“Grain production in Brazil grew 5.33% per year between 2011 and 2020, while world production grew 2.03% per year. This means that Brazil grew more than twice as fast as the world,” he said.

Therefore, the researcher adds, Brazil has a “window of business opportunities” for at least 20 years, which must be taken advantage of. “After all, we are becoming a natural resource economy.”

The country’s privileged situation is due, among other factors, to the large amount of arable land found in the country. “Part of the 160 million hectares of pastures can be converted to produce grains, becaue Brazil enjoys a regular rainfall pattern as in the cerrado (savannah), world leaders in tropical technology, and competent farmers,” Contini argued, while recalling that the land available for agriculture in other countries, such as the United States, is virtually exhausted.

Moreover, there are now some technologies with the potential to increase national production even further, such as improved seeds, efficient supplies, the best quality machinery in the world, and efficient production systems such as direct planting and crop-livestock integration, he adds.

“We lack improvement in the infrastructure and marketing of our products. The solution for the environmental issue is crucial for our exports,” he says.

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