Agriculture plays an important role in Brazil's economy—in 2023, the sector accounted for approximately 6.2% of the country's GDP and 8.2% of the employed population.
The republic is one of the world's largest producers of agricultural products and a key player in the global market for many food products. At the same time, the country also has great untapped potential in the agriculture, as the level of mechanization remains low and a significant part of the production (including for export) is carried out by small farms that mainly use manual labor. In addition, the Brazilian agricultural sector remains vulnerable to climate change due to increasingly frequent droughts and other natural disasters, including in key agricultural regions in the northeast of the country. Despite this, Brazil has shown significant progress in agricultural development in recent years, as evidenced by increased production and exports to foreign markets. A number of agricultural products are among the country's main exports.
The most common crop in Brazil is sugarcane, with production in 2023 totaling 713.3 million tons, which is 1.5% less than the previous year. According to estimates by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, IBGE), in 2024, the gross harvest of sugarcane also decreased by 0.9% compared to 2023 (to 706.7 million tons) due to unfavorable dry weather conditions, especially in the north of the country. Nevertheless, according to USDA data, sugar production in the country remains roughly at the same level (more than 40 million tons per year) due to existing raw material reserves. Brazil also continues to increase sugar exports, but the stagnation in gross cane harvests could have a negative impact on the dynamics of production and exports of this product in the foreseeable future.
Brazil is a major producer of grain crops. Most of the harvest is corn, with a gross harvest of 131.1 million tons in 2023, up 19.8% compared to 2022. According to IBGE data, in 2024, this indicator decreased by 12.5% to 114.7 million tons, which, however, is still considered one of the highest levels in the history of observations. Such significant production volumes allow Brazil to be among the world's largest corn exporters, along with the United States and Argentina. In addition to corn, rice and wheat are also grown in large quantities in Brazil. In 2023, the gross harvests of these crops amounted to 10.3 million tons and 7.8 million tons, respectively. In 2024, according to IBGE data, rice production increased by 3.0% to 10.6 million tons, while the gross wheat harvest decreased by 2.9% to 7.5 million tons.
Soybeans are Brazil's most important oilseed crop and one of the key export items of the national agricultural sector. The country ranks first in the world in terms of production and exports of this crop, with China being its main buyer. Soybeans are also in demand on the domestic Brazilian market, where soybean meal is widely used in the feed sector. In 2023, the gross harvest of soybeans in Brazil amounted to 152.0 million tons, but in 2024, according to IBGE data, this volume decreased by 4.6% to 144.9 million tons, which also led to a reduction in export volumes. It is expected that changes in weather conditions, increased productivity, and favorable prices on the global soybean market will allow the country to increase its gross harvest of this crop in the future.
Oranges account for the largest share of gross fruit and berry harvests in Brazil, with approximately 15.5 million tons grown in 2023. In 2024, according to IBGE data, 12.2 million tons of oranges were harvested in the country, which is 21.1% less than in the previous year. The republic has long maintained its status as a leading orange producer, despite the fact that gross harvests of this fruit in Brazil are at their lowest level since the 1980s. This is primarily due to the negative impact of the El Niño natural phenomenon (orange production in the country is expected to recover as weather conditions normalize). In addition, Brazil grows large quantities of bananas and pineapples, with gross harvests of 6.9 million tons and 2.4 million tons, respectively, in 2023.
In the category of vegetables, root crops, and tubers, the main crop in Brazil is cassava, with a gross harvest of 19.1 million tons in 2023 (according to IBGE, cassava production in the country remained virtually unchanged in 2024). The production of other root crops, tubers, and vegetables is also developing dynamically in Brazil. In particular, in 2023, the republic grew 4.2 million tons of potatoes and 3.9 million tons of tomatoes. According to estimates, the gross harvest of these crops in 2024 increased by 6.1% and 19.2% to 4.5 million tons and 4.7 million tons, respectively.
One of the most common crops in Brazil is cotton, whose seed fiber is one of the main exports of the national agricultural sector. In 2023, the country harvested 7.7 million tons of cotton, and in 2024, according to IBGE, this volume increased by 14.6% to 8.9 million tons. As a result, according to USDA estimates, in 2024 Brazil surpassed the United States in terms of cotton production and exports, ranking first among countries supplying this crop to the global market. The positive dynamics of cotton production in the republic is explained by favorable price conditions on the world market, which encourage farmers to use their available acreage for growing cotton instead of corn.
Brazil is the world's leading producer and exporter of coffee. In 2023, the country harvested 3.4 million tons of coffee beans (in 2024, the volume remained at the same level). At the same time, due to unfavorable weather conditions in recent years, the production of Robusta coffee has declined in the republic, while the harvest of Arabica, which accounts for the majority of the crop, has slightly increased. As a result, in 2024, Brazilian coffee exports reached a record high, further strengthening the country's position in the global market for this product.
Brazil's livestock sector is an important part of the country's agriculture. Thanks to its large livestock number, the republic is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of meat. The largest Brazilian livestock farms are located in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the border with Argentina and Uruguay.
Brazil consistently produces around 36–37 million tons of raw milk per year. In 2023, the volume was 36.7 million tons, an increase of 2.4% compared to 2022. The situation in this sector is characterized by a gradual reduction in the number of dairy farms while maintaining or increasing production volumes through the introduction of modern technologies. At the same time, locally produced milk often loses out to products from Argentina and Uruguay, especially in the northeastern part of Brazil, where the highest consumption of dairy products is recorded. As a result, despite being one of the world's largest producers of raw milk, the republic is also a major net importer of dairy products.
Most of Brazil's meat production comes from poultry, with output in 2023 reaching 13.3 million tons, which is 3.5% higher than in 2022. Brazil is one of the world's largest producers of this type of meat and is its leading exporter. In addition, the republic produced approximately 59.94 billion chicken eggs in 2023. The active development of the local poultry sector is facilitated by the government's efforts to expand the geography of its product supplies, as well as significant demand in domestic and foreign markets.
One of Brazil's most important export items is beef. The country ranks second in the world in terms of beef production and first in terms of beef exports to the global market. In 2023, the republic produced 9.0 million tons of beef, which is 11.9% more than in 2022. In addition, Brazil has a well-developed pig farming sector: in 2023, pork production amounted to 5.3 million tons, an increase of 2.2% compared to 2022. The country is also one of the major producers and exporters of this type of meat. Over the past few years, Brazil has been actively increasing pork production, and according to forecasts, production volumes in this segment will continue to grow in the medium term due to high domestic and external demand, as well as favorable pricing conditions.
Thanks to its extensive coastline and rich aquatic resources in the basin of the world's largest river, the Amazon, Brazil is actively developing fishing and fish farming. In particular, the country is one of the five largest producers of tilapia (579,100 tons in 2023), which is mainly sold on the domestic market and is an affordable source of protein for local residents. Overall, aquaculture consistently accounts for more than half of the fish produced in Brazil, while fishing in the republic is currently less developed than in other Latin American countries such as Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. The total production of fish and seafood in the country in 2023 amounted to about 1.7 million tons.
In 2024, imports of agricultural products to Brazil reached a record high of US$15.6 billion, which is 16.8% (or US$2.2 billion) higher than in 2023 and 44.5% (US$4.8 billion) higher than in 2020. Overall, in 2020–2024, the country's imports of agricultural products in value terms increased by an average of 9.6% annually. Over the past five years, the republic has most significantly increased its imports of fresh and chilled fish, olive oil, milk powder, rice, and wheat.
In 2024, the main agricultural products imported by Brazil were wheat (10.5% of the total structure of purchases in value terms), fresh and chilled fish (5.4%), olive oil (5.0%), and malt (4.6%). The 10 main commodity items accounted for 45.4% of Brazil's total agricultural imports in value terms.
In 2024, the most notable increase in purchases by the republic was in wheat (+26.8% or +$346.2 million), olive oil (+32.8% or +$193.6 million), and rice (+28.4% or +$150.4 million). At the same time, there was a significant reduction in Brazilian imports of malt (-17.3% or -$150.0 million) and milk powder (-11.8% or -$87.4 million).
Argentina is traditionally the largest exporter of agricultural products to Brazil, accounting for 25.3% of all agricultural goods supplied to the republic in 2024. Chile (10.6%) and Paraguay (9.5%) also made it into the top three food exporters to Brazil at the end of the year. The 10 largest supplier countries together accounted for 75.3% of Brazil's agricultural imports in value terms at the end of the year.
The most notable growth in 2024 was in exports of agricultural products to Brazil from Argentina (+22.9% or +US$734.5 million) and Paraguay (+37.4% or +US$401.7 million). Argentina significantly increased its exports of wheat (from US$753.1 million to US$1,049.9 million) and cheese (from US$167.1 million to US$246.5 million). Paraguay exported four times more soybeans (from US$78.9 million to US$319.0 million) and 2.3 times more wheat (from US$51.0 million to US$119.4 million). At the same time, Brazil's imports from Uruguay decreased significantly in 2024 (-8.1% or -US$117.4 million), which supplied 27.1% less dry milk (from US$333.6 million to US$243.2 million) and 21.9% less malt (from US$317.5 million to US$247.9 million).
Brazil is one of the largest exporters of agricultural products — since 2022, the country has ranked second in the world in terms of the volume of agricultural goods supplied to foreign markets. In 2024, the republic's agricultural exports amounted to US$138.4 billion, down 5.0% from 2023. At the same time, in 2020–2024, Brazil's agricultural exports increased by an average of 13.5% per year in value terms. Over the five years, the country has seen the most significant growth in exports of soybeans, coffee, and beet and cane sugar.
In 2024, Brazil's agricultural exports were dominated by soybeans (31.0% of total exports by value), beet and cane sugar (13.4%), beef and beef by-products (8.7%), and coffee (8.2%). In total, the 10 most sought-after Brazilian agricultural products on the world market accounted for 87.5% of the republic's agricultural exports in value terms at the end of the year.
Most notably, in 2024 Brazil increased its exports of coffee (+54.7% or +$4.0 billion), beet and cane sugar (+18.1% or +$2.9 billion), as well as beef and beef by-products (+23.1% or +$2.3 billion). At the same time, Brazilian companies significantly reduced their shipments of soybeans (-19.4% or -$10.3 billion), corn (-39.9% or -$5.4 billion), and soybean meal and meal (-15.7% or -$1.8 billion) .
The main buyer of Brazilian agricultural products is China, which accounted for 30.8% of the country's agricultural exports in value terms in 2024. The top three importing countries at the end of the year also included the US (5.4%) and the Netherlands (3.1%). In total, the 10 largest buyers of Brazilian agricultural products in 2024 accounted for 55.6% of the republic's agricultural exports.
Compared to 2023, the most notable increase in imports of Brazilian agricultural products in 2024 was demonstrated by the United States (+27.6% or +$1.6 billion) and Egypt (+91.5% or +$1.5 billion). The US imported 67.3% more coffee (from US$1.1 billion to US$1.9 billion) and doubled its purchases of beef and beef by-products (from US$475.9 million to US$966.8 million). Egypt increased its corn imports by 2.7 times (from US$402.2 million to US$1.1 billion) and increased its purchases of beet and cane sugar by 72.1% (from US$545.6 million to US$939.0 million). At the same time, in 2024, Brazil's exports to China (-21.4% or -$11.6 billion) and Japan (-20.7% or -$0.8 billion) declined. Compared to the previous year, China purchased 19.1% less soybeans (from US$38.9 billion to US$31.5 billion) and 86.9% less corn (from US$3.6 billion to US$478.0 million) from the country. Japan reduced its imports of corn from the republic by 65.1% (from US$1.5 billion to US$512.9 million) and poultry meat by 10.7% (from US$948.8 million to US$847.2 million).
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