Overview
Over the past decade, Brazil has consolidated its position as
an important agribusiness producer and major food supplier to
international markets. Brazilian agriculture has benefited
from currency devaluations, low production costs, rapid technological
advancements, and domestic and foreign investment to expand
production capacity. Brazil is a very competitive exporter of
soybeans, soymeal, sugar, poultry, beef, coffee, tobacco, frozen
concentrated orange juice, soyoil, and ethanol. Brazil, a
pioneer in biofuels production, is a world leader
in using fuel ethanol in the transport sector. Export
earnings have financed imports of wheat (for which growing conditions
are poor) and, on occasion, corn (mainly used as feed in the
expanding poultry sector). ERS economists provide analysis on
Brazil's agricultural production, trade, and policy.
Features
Brazil's
Booming Agriculture Faces Obstacles (November 2006). Brazil has emerged
as an important player in global food and agricultural markets,
but the long-term growth of Brazilian agriculture could slow
due to supply-side factors. At the same time, growth and changes
in food demand in Brazil could dampen growth in processed and
high-value agro-food exports.
Domestic Support to Brazilian Agriculture
on the Rise (May 2005). Brazil has dramatically increased its financial
support to its agricultural sector in the past few years. Lower
international grain prices, the continuing appreciation of the Brazilian
Real relative to the U.S. dollar, and higher production costs have
limited Brazil's agricultural growth in 2005.
Recommended Readings
The Future of Biofuels: A Global Perspective (September 2007). Global biofuel production tripled between 2000 and 2007, but still accounts for less than 3 percent of the transportation fuel supply worldwide. Biofuels will likely be part of a portfolio of solutions to high energy prices, including conservation, more efficient energy use, and use of other alternative fuels.
How Does Structural
Change in the Global Soybean Market Affect the U.S. Price? (April 2004). South
American soybean production, combined with the U.S. soybean stocks-to-use
ratio, provides a strong basis for forecasting U.S. soybean prices.
South American soybean production accounts for much of the global
structural change that has altered the relationships among U.S.
soybean production, use, stocks, and price.
Agriculture in Brazil and Argentina:
Developments and Prospects for Major Field Crops (January 2002). Recent increases
in international competitiveness by Argentine and Brazilian grain
and soybean producers likely foreshadow continued global trade-share
gains, particularly for soybeans and soybean products. Macroeconomic
and policy developments, particularly those related to exchange
rates, and infrastructure improvements will remain central to each
country's future prospects.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Production, Supply,
and Distribution (PS&D). Oofficial USDA data
on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural commodities
for the United States and major importing and exporting countries.
The database provides projections for the coming year and
historical data for more than 200 countries and major crop,
livestock, fishery, and forest products.
Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United
States (FATUS). U.S. agricultural exports and
imports, volume and value, by country, by commodity, and
by calendar year, fiscal year, and month, for varying periods,
such as 1935 to the present or 1989 to the present. Updated
monthly or annually.
WTO Agricultural Trade
Policy Commitments Database. A queriable database containing
data on implementation of trade policy commitments by WTO member
countries. Data on domestic support, export subsidies, and tariffs
are organized for comparison across countries.
Agricultural Market Access Database
(AMAD) is a publicly available information tool for analyzing WTO
market access issues in agriculture. It contains data and information
on WTO member countries, including tariff schedules, tariff bindings,
applied tariff rates, country notifications to the WTO, import quantities,
and other data useful in tariff analysis.
Recent Research Developments
Global
Biofuel Developments: Modeling the Effects on Agriculture.
Sponsored by ERS and the Farm Foundation, this workshop on
February 27-28, 2007, featured presentations on the multiple
effects of biofuel policies on agricultural production and
trade. Academics, private industry, and ERS staff presented
and discussed various methods of analyzing and modeling the
effects of biofuel policies in the United States, Brazil, the
European Union, and various Asian countries, as well as the
effects of such policies on developing countries. The effects
on agriculture vary by policy, feedstock used, byproducts,
infrastructure, and investment level. Commodity prices, crop
area allocation, livestock feeding, and commodity trade are
affected in countries producing ethanol and biodiesel. Also
discussed were future modeling efforts to capture the effects
of producing ethanol from cellulosic sources.
Related Briefing Rooms
Soybeans and Oil Crops
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Agricultural Baseline Projections
U.S. Agricultural Trade
Related Links
Additional data and information on Brazil are available from USDA,
other U.S. government sources, international organizations, and
the Brazilian government.
See all related links...
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